The first thing I did before I even started cooking the fish is that I managed to tear out the gills and taking out the insides without mutilating the poor fish, yay me!!!!!!!!!
Taking the gills out of a fish is super easy. All you have to do is grab and pull and they come right out. After this I didn’t have to cut the fish’s belly open. I have small fingers and It is an advantage. I was able to take out the yucky entrails from the fish and discarcard them later. After I cleaned them I seasoned them I took out a bowl and added 2 handfuls of rice flour and added 1 pinch each of pink salt red chili powder and papkrika. I added 1 clove of garlic I had ground up then I added 1/4 cup of water to make a thick batter using a little at a time and stirring along the way.
This was my fish coating. I heated up my cast iron skillet until it got hot and added 1/4 cup of peanut oil. I added the fish I had cleaned to the rice flour batter in batches of twos and fried them until they was perfectly golden and perfect. I did this until all of the fish was done and I used the oil for frying the fish for the rice because the flavor is still there.
I added the oil I fried the fish in in to a pot and added 1 tbs of red palm oil. To this I added 1 pinch each of additional paprika and red chili powder, curry powder powder, 1 pinch each of bonga fish powder and crayfish. If you have any bonga fish near you that is whole then use that. The one I get is at the store ground up and this is what I get. I also add 1 bullion and 3 dashes of knorr or maggi aroma.
I take 6 to 8 handfuls of basmati either white or brown, jasmine or short grain either white or brown. I wash this rice until the water turns clear. I put in a blender 1 tomato, 1 red bell pepper, 1 onion or shallot and 1 habenero or scotch bonnet seeds removed, then I added this to the pot. I also added 2 pinches of bitterleaf .
I add water to a pot that it is enough to cover the rice and cover the lid with a banana leaf or almuminum foil and cook the rice on low after I cook the rice on low after first bringing it to a boil on low heat for 20 minutes. Please keep checking every 5 minutes or so. You do this until the rice is absorbed. Lightly stir and close the lid again and let it sit for 20 minutes with the burner off. Add the fried fish on top and covered for another 20 minutes. This allows the rice to catch all of the flavors from the fish.
It was so yummy even Mr. Picky Pants, you know who you are I do not have to mention names had not only cleaned his plate. Oh My God!!!!!!!!!! He had seconds I couldn’t believe it.
Also you can use any type of fish with this dish. 1 kg or 1 lb of either Lamb, goat, beef, chicken,veal or turkey can be used to make this too. Vegetable choices are bitterleaf, carrots, peas, beans, green beans and garden egg.
If you want you can even add stockfish and dried fish too. P.S. also if you want other protein choices then go right ahead. From harder to cook meats like lamb,veal, goat, tongue from cow, goat or lamb, gizzards, pressure cook and use stock, other types of fish and other seafoods, liver and kidney. Fry kidney, liver, fish and other seafoods except crab and lobster this gets boiled and use these as a stock. Mixed vegetables gets boiled when you are making stock. Mixed veg is half bag of frozen and protein choices are 1 kilo or 1 pound.
Enjoy your meal.
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