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1
Boil the Vegetables
12 Mins
Boiling, 100°C (212°F)
Put the okra, garden eggs, eggplant and the whole scotch bonnet into a large pot with 1.2 litres of water and bring to a boil. Cook for 10–12 minutes until the okra is soft and the eggplant collapses easily. Lift the vegetables out with a slotted spoon and keep the broth — it is the cooking water for the rice.
Do not throw the broth away: cooking the rice in it is what makes fouti taste like fouti.
Done when: The okra is soft and slippery, the eggplant is fully tender, and the garden eggs yield to a fork.
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2
Cook the Rice in the Broth
20 Mins
Simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Measure 800 ml of the hot vegetable broth into a second pot, add the rinsed rice and the crushed bouillon cube, and bring to a boil. Stir once, cover tightly, lower the heat to the gentlest simmer and cook for 18–20 minutes without lifting the lid. While the rice cooks, blend the vegetables for the next step.
Stir once only — constant stirring breaks the grains and turns the rice to porridge.
Done when: The rice is tender, the liquid is absorbed, and the grains are separate and fluffy.
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3
Blend the Lafidi Sauce
3 Mins
No heat — room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Put the boiled vegetables into a blender with the strained tamarind water, the ground chilli powder and half the salt. Blend until semi-smooth — thick and spoonable, with a little texture left, not a baby-food puree. Taste and adjust the salt; the sauce should be tangy and well seasoned, a touch saltier than you want, because the plain rice will soften it.
Pulse rather than blending continuously, and stop while you can still see flecks of okra.
Done when: The sauce is thick, green and spoonable, with visible texture.
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4
Warm the Palm Oil Topping
3 Mins
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Heat the palm oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and saute for 2 minutes until soft and glossy, then add the dried shrimp and dried prawns and cook for 1 more minute. Take the pan off the heat — the oil should be warm and fragrant, never smoking.
Warm oil, not hot oil: if the palm oil smokes it turns bitter and the topping is ruined.
Done when: The onions are soft and translucent and the oil is bright orange-red.
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5
Assemble and Serve
2 Mins
Serving, about 70°C (160°F)
Scoop the hot rice onto plates, spoon a generous ladle of the lafidi sauce over the top, drizzle over the warm palm oil with the onions, shrimp and prawns, and sprinkle the pounded soumbara over everything. Serve at once with lemon wedges on the side.
Serve the sauce on top, not mixed in — each person stirs it into their own rice.
Done when: The plate shows white rice, green sauce, red oil and pale onion rings, all steaming.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve family-style with the rice, sauce and palm oil in separate bowls so everyone builds their own plate, with lemon wedges and the soumbara on the table. Add grilled fish on the side if you want the fuller meal.
Guinea
40m
France
Vietnam