COUNTRY:                           BENIN

DISH:                                     ATASSI or WATCHÉ

CONTRIBUTED BY:            Edwidge Saizonou, Spouse to the Ambassador

 

Ingredients

Dja sauce

100 g onions

4 tablespoons peanut oil

600 g mature tomatoes

2 dessertspoons ground dried prawns

1 dessert spoon paprika.

Salt & pepper

1 dessertspoon ginger

1 dessert spoon ground garlic.

 

250 grams beans, soaked overnight

250 grams rice

1 l water

salt

 

Method:

  1. Put beans in a pressure cooker together with 1 liter water. Close pressure cooker, put on high heat, when steam comes out from the valve put heat on low heat and cook beans for 1 hour.
  2. Add rice, cook for 20 minutes without a cover, take care of the quantity of water, if it is dry add a little water.

Dja sauce

  1. Pour peanut oil in a pan, sauté onion.
  2. Add diced tomatoes. Put on a low heat.
  3. Crush tomatoes with a wooden spoon, cook until the meat is well separated from the skin.
  4. Use a food mill to obtain the meat of tomatoes without the skin and seeds.
  5. Grind dried prawns.
  6. Put salt, ground dried prawns, pepper, paprika, ginger and garlic together with tomato

meat. Cook on a low heat for 30 minutes to have a concentrated sauce.

If you are using pear tomatoes you don’t need so much time, 10 minutes is ok