Lakhou bissap

🥣 A savory cracked-millet preparation with edible hibiscus leaves, ground peanuts and smoked fish, served thick but spoonable.

Ingredients

• 250 g uncooked food-grade sankhal, cracked millet
• 80 g unsweetened food-grade peanut powder
• 200 g food-grade smoked fish flesh, skinless and boneless
• 100 g fresh edible Hibiscus sabdariffa leaves
• 200 g chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion, 100 g, finely chopped
• 1.2 litres cooking water, plus soaking and adjustment water
• 1 lemon, juice offered at serving
• Salt, only after tasting

Preparation

Read the fish instructions and plan any required desalting or preliminary cooking. Sort, wash and finely chop the hibiscus leaves; discard tough stems.

Rinse the millet in a fine sieve, soak in drinking water for 30 minutes, then drain. Prepare the other ingredients meanwhile.

Check the fish twice for bones. Whisk the peanut powder with 200 ml taken from the measured 1.2 litres of water.

Bring the remaining litre of water to a simmer in a heavy pot. Add tomatoes and onion and cook gently for 10 minutes.

Add drained millet, peanut mixture, leaves and fish. Stir well and return to a gentle simmer.

Cook for about 30 minutes, or longer according to the millet and fish, stirring the whole base. Add small amounts of hot water if it thickens before the millet is tender.

Check that the grains have no hard center and the fish meets its supplier’s cooking instructions. Taste before salting. Divide into four bowls and offer lemon juice separately.