Senegalese fish and rice with vegetables (Thiéboudienne)

1. Pound the parsley, garlic, chilli, salt and pepper into a paste in a mortar or food processor (this is the rof); cut pockets into the thicker part of the fish fillets, fill them with half the paste and spread the rest over the fish.

2. Heat the oil in a wide pan, fry the fish for 2 minutes on each side and remove; fry the sliced onions in the oil, add the tomato paste and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes.

3. Add the water, season with salt, bring to the boil, add the vegetables cut into large pieces (cabbage wedges, carrots, peeled cassava, aubergine) and cook for 30 minutes; return the fish for the last 10 minutes.

4. Lift out the fish and vegetables and keep them warm, covered; leave about 1 litre of broth in the pan.

5. Wash the broken rice, stir it into the broth, cover and cook over low heat for 25 minutes until it has absorbed all the liquid.

6. Pile the rice on a large platter, arrange the fish and vegetables on top and serve the crispy rice from the bottom of the pan (xooñ) on the side.

Tip: Thiéboudienne is Senegal's national dish and has been on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list since 2021. Broken rice soaks up the juices; if you can't find it, ordinary long-grain rice will do. You can use potato instead of cassava, and a slice of squash is a nice addition.