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Senegalese vegan thieboudienne ceebu jen herb tofu
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Thieboudienne

This vegan thieboudienne or ceebu jën, Senegal's famous version of West African jollof rice comes with herb baked tofu instead of the traditional fish.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Senegalese, West Africa
Keyword rice, tofu
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 Egg plant
  • 1 Onion, sliced
  • 1-2 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper
  • ½ Bell pepper
  • 1-2 Carrot
  • 1 Small sweet potato
  • ½ Small head of cabbage
  • 800 mL Canned whole tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp Tomato puré
  • 1 tbsp Miso or nététou optional
  • 3 bay leaves
  • Vegetable stock
  • 600 mL Rice Jasmin or basmati
  • Lime slices, for serving

Herb baked tofu

  • 1 block Tofu
  • 1 bunch Parsley
  • ½ Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt, or to taste

Instructions

Herb baked tofu

  • Blend parsley, scotch bonnet, garlic, salt and olive oil. Add a little water if necessary.
  • Cut the tofu into fillets. Make a cut through the centre and leave the fillets attached at one edge, similar to a baguette (see photos).
  • Put some of the blended parsley marinade into the cut slit of each fillet and place them in a baking tray, covering them (top and bottom) with the rest of the marinade.
  • Marinade for 30+ minutes.
  • Bake the tofu at 200C/400F for 20-30 min in the marinade, flipping the fillets 1-2 times during cooking. The marinade will dry into the fillets and they will start to brown.

Rice and vegetables

  • Cut the vegetables. For instance: eggplant and carrots into long sitcks, cabbage into wedges and bell pepper and sweet potato into bite size peices.
    Cut the scotch bonnet into halves and remove seeds (or leave them in if more heat is desired).
  • Fry the onion in oil until it starts to brown. Add vegetables and canned tomato. Using a spoon, crush the whole tomatoes into chunks.
    Add stock powder (or cubes) along with bay leaves and miso.
  • Bring to a simmer and simmer on low heat until all the vegetables are cooked through.
  • Strain the vegetables, preserving the liquid.
  • Add the rice to the same pot. Measure the preserved, vegetable cooking liquid and add water until you have ~1000 mL liquid.
    Add the liquid to the rice, bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and let simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is done. Add more water if needed.
  • Place the rice on a large serving tray, cover with vegetables and tofu and serve wiht lime slices.