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Babenda (rice with fish and leafy sauce): recipe illustration
Fish & seafood

Babenda (rice with fish and leafy sauce)

Babenda is a complete meal combining rice with a fish sauce made with spinach and sorrel, spiced with chili and softened with peanuts. It is a much-loved family dish in Burkina Faso, cooked in one large pot.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

Sauce

Spices & seasoning

Optional extras

Instructions

  1. Wash the fish, season it with salt and chili, then brown it in oil for 3 minutes on each side and set aside.
  2. In the same oil, fry the sliced onions, add the crushed tomatoes and chilies, then let reduce for 5 minutes.
  3. Dilute the peanut paste in a glass of water, pour it into the sauce with 1 litre of water, then simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Add the chopped spinach and sorrel, then return the fish and cook for 15 minutes over low heat.
  5. Wash the rice and add it to the sauce with enough water to cover it, then cook covered for 25 minutes until absorbed.
  6. Serve the rice with the fish pieces and the leafy sauce, very hot.

Variations and tips

Using what's available here. Replace the sorrel with extra spinach leaves and the tilapia with cod or whiting.

More ideas

Original Ecomely recipe.