Comfort Foods: Rice and Fish Stew

Ever since I moved out of my amazing parents’ house, what seems like decades ago, I have moments of longing for my mother's home cooking. The smell of spices that drawn you in and invite you to sit down for a meal. They are flavors of Nigeria that give me this overwhelming sense of nostalgia and warm my soul the only way great food can. It brings back fond memories, times of laughter and late-night conversations. Things that I miss dearly. A great example of one of these dishes is rice with fish stew and dodo(fried plantain). This savory, spicy fun dish is one of my all-time favorites and since the state of the world has been trying it’s best to get me down, I’m fighting back by doing and making things that bring me joy. So in my effort to share a little of myself and the things that make me joyful, I am happy to share my recipe with you. Here's how to get started...

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 large catfish, gutted and cleaned
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups mushrooms, halved
• 3 red bell peppers, sliced
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon hot Nigerian pepper
• if you like it really spicy, chop a couple habanero pepper to toss in
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon
• 1 pinch of thyme
• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1, 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 2 cups of water

Put it all together!

1. Cut fish into steaks, rinse, pat dry, sprinkle a pinch of salt and set aside
2. Place a large pot on medium heat. Add in the oil, tomato paste, bouillon, pepper, thyme, bell pepper and garlic and 2 cups water. Mix well.
3. Cover for 5 minutes and bring to a rolling boil
4. Reduce heat to below medium and add in the fish.
5. Simmer for 25 minutes until fish is almost done and add in the onion and mushroom
6. Bring to a boil for another 5 minutes 

*You can eat this by itself, put it on rice, on yams, potatoes or whatever your hearts desires... I like it on rice with a side of dodo.

Plantain is prepped for frying!

Dodo

1. Slice two ripe plantain
2. Deep fry in vegetable oil in a large frying pan until golden brown, making sure each piece has its own space and that they don't stick together.
3. Turn each piece over once you see that one side is golden brown
4. Once you remove them from the oil, coat with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Time to eat!

Hope you enjoy!