Real street food: Spiced fish and rice from Dakar

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/27/spiced-fish-rice-dakar-senegal-recipe-real-street-food

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What’s the dish?

There are about as many variations for spelling thiebou dieune (thiep bou dien, ceebu jën…) as there are to making it. This rice (thieb) and fish (dieune) recipe is the national dish of Senegal, and can also be made with beef (thiebou yapp) or by swapping out the spicy tomato-based sauce for a milder seafood broth. Pull up at any roadside street food stall in Dakar and you’ll find it.

What’s the history?

The story goes that a woman by the name of Penda Mbaye is to be credited with creating thiebou dieune. She lived in Saint-Louis, Senegal, the former colonial capital of West Africa, and worked for the governor. Her first recipe used barley, but when there was a shortage she substituted rice and it took off from there, rising to be the national dish in Senegal and also very popular in Mauritania.

What does it taste like?

Comfort food with a kick. It’s spicy and flavourful, but not overpoweringly hot. The fish itself is usually mild, but the broth is made with smoked fish and other seafood and used to infuse the rice with rich, bold flavours.

How is it served?

Normally you eat from this large common bowl, not from individual plates, using only your right hand. If you’re in a house, not a street food stall, the host will divide up the fish and vegetables on to each person’s rice portion in front of them. Take a piece of fish or vegetable and some rice in your right hand. Squeeze to make a small, tight ball and then pop it into your mouth.

Anything extra?

To each their own, but in general you might top it off with a fresh squeeze of lime juice, spicy hot piment sauce or xoon, bits of crispy, fried rice.

Why should someone try it?

First, because it’s the quintessential Dakar dish. But secondly, because it’s absolutely delicious.

What’s the bill?

In Dakar you can pull up a bench at a roadside stall and enjoy a plate of thiebou dieune for 500 Fcfa ($1). In upscale restaurants that cater to the tourist crowd, you can find yourself paying up to 7500 Fcfa ($15).

Where can you get it?

Thiebou dieune is available on street food stalls and is the daily special in family-style restaurants – you can even get it delivered, too. If you’re invited to a Senegalese home, it will likely be the meal you are served. Le Galard restaurant in the Médina neighbourhood is a Dakar institution, dating back to 1954. You’ll find thiebou dieune on their menu every day and can eat it surrounded by the restaurant’s regulars who have been coming for 60 years.

Can you make it at home?

With a bit of patience and perseverance, you can learn to make thiebou dieune. But odds are good that it will never taste as good as when it’s served from a common bowl among friends seated on the floor outside.

What does this dish say about Dakar?

Come eat, come share. There is always room for one more person at the thieb bowl.

Thiebou dieune recipe (serves four)