DAGAA
On a recent trip to Tanzania, I came across dagaa in almost every household I visited. We’d often eat tiny fish with stewed greens, home-ground peanut butter and ugali (soft maize), served in small bowls, with our fingers. Here is my British take on it…
(Serves 2) 48p a portion
150g rice, 6p
2 tbsp oil, 6p
200g sprats, 40p
1 tbsp lime juice, 3p
1 tsp fresh grated ginger, 5p
½ tsp salt, 1p
100g spinach or spring greens, 15p
1 tbsp peanut butter, 10p
1 fresh chilli, chopped, 9p
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the rice and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until cooked.
Warm the oil in a shallow frying pan on a high heat, add the sprats and squeeze over the lime juice.
Add the ginger, season, and fry until the fish begin to crisp around the edges (no more than 10 minutes).
When the fish are almost done, blanch the greens in boiling water for a minute, put them in a bowl, stir in the peanut butter and sprinkle the chilli on top.
Serve with the fish and plain rice.
Tip: I had many versions of these fish in Tanzania. Each household cooks them slightly differently, so don’t be afraid to experiment. For example, you can coat the sprats with flour, seasoned with salt and dried chilli, before frying.
Jack Monroe. Twitter: @MsJackMonroe
First published in The Guardian, Weds 5th March. Photograph by Graeme Robertson for The Guardian.
Categories: FISH, Guardian Food, Recipes & Food
aha, I spy the lovely picture secret – a professional photographer! 😉
And for anyone in any doubt, yes, that was a gentle joke
And on that theme, I think your third book Jack could be ‘The Invention and Invective of Internet Trolls and Comment Bullies, with Especial Reference to Females in the Public Eye’. Actually, that sounds more like a PhD Thesis title
I can’t remember much of my O.U. Sociology Foundation course, except that there was a lot of phallic theory in EVERYTHING, and I’m sure that a great paper could be written on that theme
I am giggling now imagining what could be in it!!
aha, I spy the lovely picture secret – a professional photographer!
And for anyone in any doubt, yes, that was a gentle joke
And on that theme, I think your third book Jack could be ‘The Invention and Invective of Internet Trolls and Comment Bullies, with Especial Reference to Females in the Public Eye’. Actually, that sounds more like a PhD Thesis title
I can’t remember much of my O.U. Sociology Foundation course, except that there was a lot of phallic theory in EVERYTHING, and I’m sure that a great paper could be written on that theme
I am giggling now imagining what could be in it!!
Are you using canned or fresh sprats? Can you use a different type of fish like Makerel?
Found this recipe by accident and my mouth watered at the thought of it! Sent to the boyfriend and we agreed to make it at the weekend. Sadly we couldn’t find sprats so we bought the anchovies off the deli counter (with the olives). They didn’t work in quite the same way but the mushed up fish with some spinach and a squeeze of lime was beautiful.
Melted peanut butter over spinach is our new fav thing – thank you for a cheap and nutritious snack/side!
Can’t buy Sprats anywhere! Where do you get yours Jack and could I use Whitebait instead?