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Mbakhal (Saloum rice with peanuts and dried fish)
Mbaxal: the Saloum's thick, savoury rice cooked with peanuts, black-eyed beans and dried fish
Mbakhal belongs to the Saloum, the peanut country around Kaolack and the Sine-Saloum delta, where it is cooked for gatherings and the Muslim feast days. Rice is simmered until soft and almost porridge-like in a sauce of ground peanuts, tomato and onion, together with black-eyed beans and guedj, the sun-dried, salted fish of the Senegalese coast. The flavour is deep and savoury, the texture creamy with bursts of bean and chewy flakes of fish. Salt cod or smoked fish are fair substitutes for guedj. Chef's tip: soak and taste the dried fish before you season, and add salt only at the end; over-salting is the most common mistake with mbakhal, since guedj and stock both carry plenty.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz dried salted fish (guedj)or salt cod; soaked in water for 1 hour
- 5 ½ oz dried black-eyed beanssoaked for 4 hours, or 1 tin (240 g drained)
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 4 garlic clovescrushed
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 5 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanutsground to a paste with a little water; or 120 g peanut butter
- 5 ¾ cups water
- 1 tsp nététou (fermented locust beans) (optional)or iru/dawadawa
- 1 Scotch bonnet chilliwhole
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 14 oz broken ricerinsed
- 1 tsp saltonly if needed
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Drain 5 ½ oz dried salted fish (guedj), rinse well, remove skin and bones and break into large flakes. Taste a small piece: if very salty, soak 30 minutes more in fresh water.
Step 2: Drain 5 ½ oz dried black-eyed beans, cover with fresh water and boil hard for 10 minutes, then simmer until tender but whole. Drain. (Tinned beans just need rinsing.)
35 minStep 3: Meanwhile, heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over a medium heat and fry 2 onions until soft and golden, then add 4 garlic cloves for 1 minute.
10 minStep 4: Add 3 tbsp tomato paste and fry until it darkens to brick red, about 3 minutes.
3 minStep 5: Stir in the peanut paste from 5 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanuts, then gradually whisk in 5 ¾ cups water. Add the fish, 1 tsp nététou (fermented locust beans), 1 Scotch bonnet chilli and 1 tsp ground black pepper and simmer until the sauce is smooth and a little oil appears on top.
15 minStep 6: Add 14 oz broken rice and the beans, stir, cover and cook over a low heat, stirring every few minutes and scraping the base, until the rice is very soft and the dish is thick and creamy. Add a splash of water if it catches.
25 minStep 7: Taste and add 1 tsp salt only if needed. Lift out the chilli and serve hot from the pot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 74 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mbakhal (Saloum rice with peanuts and dried fish) take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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