County Kildare, Ireland
Celebratory Nigeria Native Oil Rice (bulgur) with grilled fish
25 - 40 Minutes
6 Servings
Introduction
We celebrated 3 years of marriage this week and I have decided to share a much-loved meal by my husband and I. When we lived in Leeds, we had our dear friends who would make this dish for us on any random occasion. It was pretty much our second home and had a cool setup of constantly exchanging dishes between us. We miss them dearly and I had to ring them to get the recipe and add my spin to it. You see despite how many times this was cooked and I would even prep part of the meal. I did not pay attention to the whole process because I always wanted them to make it haha. Well now we've moved part of missing them has been not having this dish on a regular. The normal recipe calls for rice (long grain/basmati) but we tend to use bulgur wheat due to its higher protein content and makes us filled quicker. It is also very spicy, so I add carrots to balance this out and additional vitamin benefits. The grilled whole fish and crayfish (dried prawns) give it the native taste as well as palm oil. I usually prep parts of this meal in steps and so takes about 25mins but if going ahead in one go then it will probably be about 35 - 40mins. It’s an inexpensive meal so will help in keeping the food bill down.
Steps
Blog
Its November which is a celebratory month in our home as it’s our wedding anniversary! It’s become tradition to spend the week enjoying the outdoors with long walks or hikes as well as exploring new restaurants. To celebrate with my readers, I am sharing this meal loved by both of us with you. It’s a traditionally south-east Nigerian meal that my friend grew up with. If you've read any of my other blogs by now, I have only liked fish in the last few years. Well, this dish is one of the reasons I could no longer claim to not like fish. I found that if the fish is spicy & hot, I actually love the flavours it brings to the dish. This is a major win for my husband as he loves fish and we did not have many options that included this, simply because I couldn't stand the smell. Well now I can because they taste delicious - haha!
The traditional recipe also includes iru (locust beans) and optional proteins, however I like to keep this a fish recipe only. This could also be a one-pot meal if you meal prep your grilled fish like me. So, I usually buy 2 or 3 large mackerel fish (frozen from continental stores), clean, season and grilled it. Then I de-bone and shred it into bite size chunks for 2 or so dishes including this one. If I am not ready to make the meal on the day of preparing the fish, I store in a container or Ziplock bag and freeze once cooled. I just bring it out few hours before when I want to use it to defrost.
It’s almost the end of 2022 which has been a year full of change and this autumn has been super wet. So, I am looking forward toward to continue sharing recipes that warm you up from the inside. Let's finish the year full of flavourful quick meals, fun in the kitchen and supporting me by liking, sharing and commenting. 🥂
How to make
To make this meal, you need a sauté pan (or large frying pan) and a oven to grill the fish for it to be super quick and easy. This keeps cooking utensils to the minimal without compromising on flavour! You also want a chopping board, knife, tongs, grater and spoon to prep and cook this delicious meal. I use precooked fish and shredded to keep the cooking duration low. However, you can do the fish prep on the same day too.
First, clean, de-gut your fish, if you get this fresh from your local mongers you can ask for then to do this for you. Take a sharp knife and slice through the belly of the fish to have sight of the white inside and then on the scale side scour the fish about 3 times on both sides of the fish. Once that's done you can either mix all the seasoning with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl and use a brush to marinate. Alternatively wearing some gloves, cover the fish with 1 tablespoon of oil and then sprinkle salt to taste, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 teaspoon of chilli, white, black & cayenne pepper, half a stock cube and ensure the inner and outer parts of the fish is coated. Place on the oven grill tray and allow to face both sides for about 8 -10mins each on medium heat. Depending on your oven it could be quicker or faster so do make sure to check, it's cooked when the skin is golden/bronze and the inside flakes.
Whilst that's grilling, chop your scotch bonnet and onion in to tiny squares/slices, be careful not to get the scotch bonnet on your finger or eyes! Grate your carrots with either a medium or coarse side and set aside. In a large sauté pot add the palm oil and heat on medium heat, it will go translucent after about 4 mins, then add your scotch bonnet and onions and fry. Stirring occasionally making sure to not let it burn (reduce heat it necessary). Now for carrots, you can either add it at this stage or later with the greens depending on if you want the crunch. I alternate between the 2 options depending on how I feel. Next season your base with the crayfish, 1 1/2 tablespoon stock cube, salt, thyme and allow to simmer for 3mins. Remember to check your fish, once this is cooked debone, shred and set aside.
Wash your bulgur/rice and add then add to the base and coat the uncooked grains in the sauce add water this should not be more than 150ml at first (same height as rice). Put the heat on medium-low and allow to cook for about 15mins, check to ensure it does not burn and the rice has liquid to cook. Add more water if required and taste to ensure it has enough salt. Chop your vegetable of choice, add with the fish into your sauté pan and mix it together. Allow to simmer on low heat for about 3 mins and then its ready!!
If cooking ahead for dinner during the week, allow to cool down and then serve into storage containers. Otherwise serve on a plate with a side of salad or coleslaw and dodo (fried plantain) immediately.
Comment below and let me know how you found this recipe.
Enjoy!
#Dinner #Nigerianmeals #mealprep #homecook #homecookedmeals #quickmeals #onepotmeal #easymeals
- Coarse Bulgar wheat 800g
1 Large onion
230ml palm oil
2 scotch bonnets
5 tbp Crayfish ground (smoked prawns)
2 stock cubes (fish)
3 carrots (M)
Fresh Ugwu /basil leaves 75g (handful)
1 tbp Thyme
1 whole fresh Mackerel (L) or 3-4 fillets
1 tsp chilli, white, black & cayenne pepper
2 tbp Olive/Rapeseed oil
2 - 3 Bay leaves (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt to taste
150 - 200ml water