By Gustav Addo
Benechin (pronounced Ben – eh- chin) literally means ’one pot’. It can be cooked with chicken or other meat but fish is probably the most common variation. Benachin is also often referred to as Gambian Jollof.
Does this ring a bell? The Nigerian jollof and Ghana jollof war?
Benachin is the most famous Gambian food. Everyone is familiar with this dish, and no event is complete without Benachin. It is cooked for naming ceremonies, weddings, funerals, etc.
Benachin literally means one dish or one pot. It got the name because most Gambian dishes require two pots, one for the rice and the other for the soup, but with Benachin, everything is cooked in one pot. Benachin is basically a simple dish of fish, beef, or chicken, cooked with oil, onions, garlic, pepper, tomato, seasoning, cassava, and bay leaves. You can also add carrots and shrimp, but they are not essential.
Tomato paste can also be added if preferred, and this determines the type of Benachin you are preparing: with tomato paste, it is called “red Benachin”, and without tomato paste, it is called “white Benachin “.
The dish is simple to prepare. Just fry the meat till browned, then take it out and put in the pounded or blended onions, garlic, pepper, and tomatoes and stir for 15 to 30 minutes. Add water, seasoning of your preference, bay leaves, salt, and cassava, and replace the meat, then let it boil for 30 to 40 minutes.
Then take out the meat and cassava, add a little water, and put in washed rice. This will soak up the water once it is properly cooked.
Your Benachin is now done and can be served in a bowl or plate, with the fish, beef, or chicken and sitting atop the rice.
Benachin usually looks like jollof rice with a little something special added to it; dried, salted fish. It is intensely tasty. There are several Benachin recipes on the web, however for some reason, mom’s method seems to be the only one that uses the salted fish as a flavour enhancer, rather than the actual meat of the dish. In fact, mom notes that she learned the recipe from one of her Ghanaian friends who had lived in Gambia before. On a recent visit, Mom made benachin with goat meat, and added salt fish to enhance the flavour. I prefer if the fish is salt fillet fish rather than the boney fish as it then becomes impossible to indulge greedily in the dish without fear of choking!
The more detailed Recipe
Tomato stew base (based on 1 x 400g can of tomatoes)
100g salted fish
2 cups long grain rice
2 cups hot or boiling water
Method
1. Soak the salted fish in water to remove the excess salt. You may want to do this for at least an hour as the salt content is fairly high.
2. Wash the rice then soak it in some boiled water. Whilst the rice is soaking, prepare your tomato stew base.
3. Add the salted fish along with 1 and a half cups of water to the stew base and simmer for some time.
4. Strain the soaked rice and add it to the pot. Season to taste carefully because of the salt. I often use Basmati rice. Easy cook rice may be used however this develops an undesirable burnt flavour very easily and the result is quite dry. For first timers, however, these rice varieties are particularly good as they are less likely to get soggy if too much water is used.
5. Top up the pot with enough water for those with an experienced eye for rice. This would normally be about 500mls (2 cups), you may need to top up if the rice is still hard. Bring to the boil.
6. Once simmering nicely, cover with parchment paper right above the rice (to lock in moisture and add natural cooking pressure) and an air tight lid. Reduce the heat. You may need to stir with prongs a couple of times just to make sure the heat is distributed evenly.
7. Taste the rice (this is the fun part) and once you are satisfied with the cooked texture, you’re done!
There is a special sauce you can prepare to serve with benachin, called rangha bissap. The sauce is prepared from the green parts of the hibiscus plant. The leaves need to be boiled and pounded or blended into a fine paste. And it can be on top of this tasty meal with a bit of salt and local seasoning.
Now you can enjoy your sweet meal of Benachin…So anytime you are in The Gambia, do make sure to request for your tasty meal of benachin.
Stay tuned on the African history behind the name jollof…
Source: www.gambia.co.uk , www.chefspencil.com , www.myburntorange.com Africaontheblog,
