Gambia | Main dish

Benachin

Name: Benachin
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Gambia, West Africa
Ingredients: 3 cups long-grain rice, washed; 600 g whole fish or fish steaks, cleaned and scored; ¼ cup vegetable oil; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 3 medium tomatoes, chopped or blended; 2 large onions, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks; 1 medium cassava, peeled and cut into large chunks; 2 whole carrots, cut into large pieces; ¼ head cabbage, cut into wedges; 1 whole scotch bonnet or hot pepper, left whole; 5 cups water or fish stock; salt and black pepper, to taste; 1 whole lime, cut into wedges

Gambian one-pot tomato rice cooked with fish, cassava, sweet potato, cabbage, carrot, chile, and a rich seasoned broth.

Country

Gambia

Region

West Africa

Time

90 min

Serves

Level

medium

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Recipe overview

What to know before you cook

Use this overview to check the occasion, serving ideas, regional context, and cooking commitment before you begin.

When to cook it

Best for Family meals. Plan on a medium cook and about 90 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Lime wedges, fresh chile sauce, cucumber salad, or tapalapa bread

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One-Pot Wonders is the easiest collection to explore after this dish. One-Pot Wonders

Regional lane

Gambia national table. A structured Gambia dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Adding too much liquid after the rice goes in.
Stirring too often once the grains should be steaming.
Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.

How you know it is ready

The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.

Recipe photos

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Benachin recipe from Gambia — Benachin finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Benachin

Lime wedges, fresh chile sauce, cucumber salad, or tapalapa bread

Best route from here

Gambia national table

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Explore Gambia recipes

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Ingredients

For 6 servings

Main dish

How to cook it

Step-by-step method

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Gambia

5 steps 30 min prep 60 min cook 90 min total medium

Season and fry fish

Season fish with salt and pepper. Fry in hot oil until browned on both sides, then remove.

Fry fish 10:00

Build tomato broth

In the same pot, cook onions until soft. Add garlic and tomato paste, then tomatoes, hot pepper, and water or stock.

Build broth 12:00

Cook vegetables

Add cassava, sweet potato, carrot, and cabbage. Simmer until just tender, then lift the vegetables out and keep warm.

Cook vegetables 15:00

Cook rice

Stir rice into the broth. Place fish and vegetables on top, cover tightly, and cook on low until the rice absorbs the broth.

Steam rice 30:00

Serve family style

Rest 10 minutes, then serve the rice on a platter with fish and vegetables arranged over it. Add lime if using.

Rest 10:00

Some cooks use fish, others use chicken or meat. Vegetables change with the market, but cassava, cabbage, carrot, and sweet potato are common companions.

Benachin

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Step-by-step method

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