Elite life
Mauritania (Mauritanian Recipes)
Ingredients:
1 kg fish
2 kg rice
500 g oil
1 aubergine (eggplant)
2 carrots
1 cabbage
2 large sweet potatoes
1 small tin tomato paste
3 cloves garlic
300 g dried fish, removed from the bones
Large sprig of parsley
1 onion
6 dried chillies
Handful of bissap leaves or omit
Cooking Instructions:
Scale and gut the fish. Make a paste from the garlic, cihllies, parsley and some of the cabbage. Use this to stuff the fish. Clean, peel and cut the vegetables then add the oil to your pot, heat and fry the fish. Meanwhile mix the tomato paste with enough water to form a smooth soup-like sauce. Remove the fish from the oil and set aside. Fry the onion briefly in the oil then add the tomato mixture. Add the vegetables and dried fish and cover with a lid. Clean the rice and add to the sauce. Allow to cook for 20 minutes until the rice is done then add the bissap leaves and place the fish on top. Allow to steam for five minutes then place the rice on a serving platter and place the fish on top. Serve immediately.
Ingredients:
900 g lamb cut into small cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 turnips, peeled and chopped
4 carrots, sliced
3 small potatoes, quartered
200 g cabbage, coarsely chopped
2 squashes, peeled and chopped
2 medium tomatoes
For the couscous:
900 g couscous
200 g dates, pitted and chopped
100 g raisins
250 g cooked chickpeas
50 g butter
Cooking Instructions:
Brown the meat by flash-frying in the olive oil. Reduce the heat, add the onions and garlic and fry until golden then add the vegetables, cooking for a further 2 minutes. Cover with some 500 ml water, add the lid and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked. Mix the dates, raisins and chickpeas into the couscous and add just enough water to soften. Place the dampened couscous in a colander lined with cheesecloth or muslin. Place over a pot of boiling water and steam until done (about 25 minutes). Plate-out the couscous and stir-in the butter then place the meat and sauce on top. Serve immediately.
Ingredients:
1.5 kg tenderloin, cut into 1cm thick strips
1 coconut (water reserved) with flesh cut into strips the same size as the beef
4 green bell peppers, cut into strips the same size as the beef
1 hot chilli pepper, finely sliced
120 ml groundnut oil
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 drops Tabasco
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 beef bouillon or Maggi cubes
4 tbsp cornflour
Cooking Instructions:
Add the oil to a large frying pan and add the salt, black pepper, garlic and Tabasco. Fry the peppers and chilli in this seasoned oil for 2 minutes then add the steak and fry for a further 2 minutes before adding the coconut strips and frying for another 2 minutes. Mix the coconut water with sufficient water to make 500ml and bring to a boil. Add the soy sauce and beef bouillon then mix the cornflour with 60ml water to form a paste. Add this to the coconut water mixture and stir to incorporate. Continue stirring the mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens. Place the meat mixture on a bed of rice and spoon the sauce over the top before serving.
