Ingredients
For the fish and nokoss:
- Fresh white fish: 1 large thiof (white grouper) or gilthead sea bream cut into large chunks.
- Nokoss (aromatic stuffing): 1 bunch of fresh parsley, 6 cloves of garlic, 1 fresh chili pepper, 1 green onion, sea salt and ground black pepper.
- Traditional enhancers: 1 piece of guedj (salted dried fish) and 1 piece of yët (fermented mollusk).
For the rice and vegetables:
- Fragrant broken rice: 1 kg of white rice (twice broken), previously washed and drained.
- Vegetable garnish: 1/2 white cabbage, 2 carrots, 1 local eggplant, 1 turnip, 2 sweet potatoes, 1 whole habanero pepper.
- Teumbeul and tamarind sauce: Tangy tamarind paste (dakhar) diluted with spicy broth and candied onions.
- Oil and seasoning: 250 ml of peanut oil, coarse salt, bay leaf.
Preparation
- Prepare and stuff the fish: Pound together the parsley, garlic, green pepper, salt and pepper to make the kidney (nokoss). Deeply incise the fish sections and generously add this aromatic stuffing.
- Brown the fish: In a cast iron pot, heat the peanut oil. Brown the stuffed pieces of fish on each side until nicely golden brown, then carefully remove them and set aside on a plate.
- Start the white broth: In the same oil, brown the cleaned yët and the sliced onions. Add the washed guedj. Moisten with about 2.5 liters of hot water, salt with coarse salt and add the bay leaves. Bring to a vigorous boil.
- Cook the vegetables: Dip the eggplant, cabbage, carrots, turnip and sweet potatoes into the broth. Simmer over medium heat for about 25 to 30 minutes until the vegetables are perfectly tender but firm. Remove the vegetables and a little concentrated broth for the tamarind sauce.
- Cook the teumbeul rice: Pre-cook the broken rice by steaming over the pot (couscous maker). Then pour the pre-cooked rice directly into the remaining fragrant broth. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and let the rice absorb all the broth slowly for 20 minutes, stirring gently halfway through cooking.
- Training: Arrange the creamy, tinted white rice in the center of a large round dish. Arrange the pieces of golden fish and the colorful vegetables harmoniously all around. Top with the tangy tamarind and tangy teumbeul sauce.