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1
Boil and Drain the Kapenta
15 Mins
Rolling boil, ~100°C (212°F)
Drop the rinsed kapenta into the boiling water and cook for 15 minutes, then drain well and pat dry. This first boil softens the little fish and washes away much of their salt. Taste one — it should be tender and only mildly salty.
Do not skip the drain: the boiling water carries the extra salt away with it.
Done when: Kapenta is tender, not crunchy, and only mildly salty.
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2
Fry the Tomato-Onion Base
8 Mins
Medium heat, ~160°C (320°F)
Heat the oil in a wide pan, fry the onion and garlic for 3 minutes until soft and sweet-smelling, then add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes more until they collapse into a thick sauce. Season with the salt and pepper.
Let the tomatoes cook down properly — a watery base makes a watery stew.
Done when: The base is thick, red and glossy, with no raw tomato smell.
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3
Simmer the Kapenta in the Sauce
10 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (203°F)
Stir in the groundnut powder and 120 ml of water, then add the kapenta and turn the fish gently until every piece is coated. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the sauce clings to the fish. Check the thickest fish with a thermometer — fish must reach at least 63°C (145°F) at the centre.
Stir gently and only once or twice — the little fish break up if they are pushed around.
Done when: The sauce coats the fish and the kapenta are hot right through, at least 63°C (145°F).
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4
Cook the Nshima
15 Mins
Simmer, ~95°C (203°F)
While the stew simmers, bring 600 ml of water to the boil in a second pot, then rain in the maize meal a little at a time, stirring hard with a wooden spoon so no lumps form. Keep stirring over low heat for 10 minutes until the porridge is thick, smooth and pulls away from the sides of the pot, then shape into mounds.
Stir with the spoon upright and push down hard — nshima firms up fast once it thickens.
Done when: The nshima is thick and smooth, holds its shape, and pulls cleanly from the pot.
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5
Rest and Serve
5 Mins
Serve hot, ~70°C (158°F)
Take the stew off the heat and rest it for 2 minutes so the sauce thickens slightly. Spoon a mound of nshima onto each plate with a generous ladle of kapenta stew beside it, and serve at once.
Serve the stew beside the nshima, not on top — everyone pinches off their own piece of nshima to scoop with.
Done when: The plate is steaming, the sauce glossy, the nshima firm.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Let the stew rest for 2 minutes off the heat before serving — the sauce thickens and the flavours settle. A squeeze of lemon over the fish is a fresh touch if you like it, though traditional Zambian tables serve it plain.
Zambia
1h
France
Vietnam