Kebbeh Kunda Benachin

  • 1 Bonga fish
  • 6 white fish (perch or similar)
  • 2-4 onions finely choppped
  • 2-3 red and black peppers
  • 1 large cube of bullion stock
  • ¼ cup of tomato puree diluted with water into a runny paste
  • 4 cups of small grain rice
  • 1 ½ cups of oil
  • 1 small pumpkin chopped into chunks
  • 4 large tomatoes
  • 4 bitter tomatoes

step one

Clean all the fish and add salt. (The bonga fish is to add flavour, if you cant find a bonga fish you can use additional white fish but the flavour will not be as good.)

step two

Pound the red and black peppers into a paste. Add half of the chopped onions to the pepper mixture and continue to pound adding in the stock cube. In a separate bowl mash the tomatoes and the remaining onions
together.

step three

Heat the oil in a deep pan. Put the fish into the hot oil so that is half covered. (Place the fish in whole, do not chop it). Add the mashed tomato and onion mixture to the frying fish followed by the tomato paste. Once the oil has turned red from the tomato paste you can stir the frying fish. Add the bitter tomatoes and chopped pumpkin and let simmer. Place the rice in a colander over the simmering mixture to steam, covering any gaps between the top of the pan and colander with a cloth.

step four

Once the pumpkin is cooked remove the fish and vegetables from the pan and set aside. Leave the broth in the saucepan. Add the partly steamed rice and red pepper paste to the broth. Reduce the heat and continue to cook the rice until all the water has evaporated from the pan. Once cooked add the fish and vegetables and serve.

“Benachin means one pot like stew or biryani”