National Dishes of the World

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Thieboudienne
Photo: KVDP, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

main dish

Thieboudienne

Ceebu jën

Rice cooked in a tomato and fish broth, served with herb-stuffed fish and braised vegetables.

Eaten in: Senegal

Prep
40 min
Cooking
1 h 30 min
Total
2 h 10 min
Servings
6

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About the dish

Ceebu jën – Wolof for “rice and fish” – is regarded as Senegal's national dish. The fish, usually grouper, is stuffed with a paste of parsley, garlic and chilli called rof, then braised in a tomato sauce with cassava, cabbage, carrots, aubergine, pumpkin and okra. Finally broken rice is cooked in the same broth, turning red and deeply flavoured, and the crust from the bottom of the pot, xoon, is especially prized. It is served on a shared platter, with the fish and vegetables arranged on the rice. In 2021 the culinary art of ceebu jën was inscribed on the UNESCO intangible heritage list.

Main ingredients

  • broken rice
  • fish (grouper)
  • tomato paste
  • cassava
  • cabbage
  • carrots
  • aubergine
  • parsley and garlic

More: Wikipedia (en)

Recipe

Thieboudienne

https://foodmap.ominuvo.com/dish/thieboudienne

Ingredients

6 servings

6 servings

Method

  1. Blend the parsley with the garlic, chilli and salt into rof paste, slit the fish and push the paste into the cuts.

  2. Heat the oil in a large pot, brown the fish on both sides and set aside.

  3. In the same oil soften the chopped onions, add the tomato paste and fry for 5 minutes, stirring, until it darkens.

  4. Add 2.5 l water, the dried fish and the stock cube, then the vegetables in large pieces and simmer for 25 minutes.

  5. Add the fish and cook for another 15 minutes; lift out the fish and vegetables once tender and keep them warm.

  6. Measure about 1.2 l of the broth (keep the rest), add the rinsed rice, cover and cook over low heat for 30–35 minutes until absorbed, with a crust forming on the bottom.

  7. Spread the rice on a large platter, arrange the fish and vegetables on top, spoon over a little broth and serve with lime.

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