Kajaik

Ingredients

Fish

• 400 gdried or smoked Nile fish (tilapia, Nile perch or catfish), broken into large pieces
• 1.5 litreswarm water, for soaking

Stew

• 4 tbspsesame oil or groundnut oil
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 4garlic cloves, minced
• 300 gfresh okra, topped and cut into 1 cm rounds
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1green chilli, split
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspground cumin
• ½ tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsalt, added late
• 1 litreof the fish soaking water, strained

To finish

• 2 tbspsmooth peanut butter or ground sesame paste (optional, for body)
• 1small bunch coriander, chopped
• 1lime, in wedges

To serve

• kisra or asida

Directions

1. Soak the dried fish in the warm water for at least 2 hours, changing the water once if it is heavily salted. Keep the final soaking water: it is the stock of the dish.
2. Lift the fish out, pick over it carefully and remove every bone and any hard skin, keeping the flakes as large as possible.
3. Strain the soaking water through a cloth to catch grit and set 1 litre aside.
4. Fry the onion in the oil over medium heat for 8–10 minutes until soft and lightly golden, then add the garlic, coriander, cumin and pepper and cook 1 minute.
5. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook 8 minutes, pressing them down, until the mixture darkens and the oil separates at the edge.
6. Pour in the strained stock, add the chilli and bring to a simmer, then add the fish and cook gently for 15 minutes so it softens and gives its smoky flavour to the broth.
7. Add the okra and simmer a further 12–15 minutes, uncovered, until it is tender and the stew has thickened noticeably from the okra’s own mucilage. Stir gently and as little as possible; hard stirring shreds the fish and turns the okra to slime.
8. Stir in the peanut butter if using, season with salt only now (the dried fish is already salty), finish with coriander and lime, and serve hot with kisra to scoop it up.

Technique

• Dried and smoked river fish is the everyday protein of the Nile communities of South Sudan, and its concentrated, slightly funky flavour is the point of kajaik. Fresh fish makes a pleasant stew, but not this one.
• Salt at the end, never at the start. Dried fish varies enormously in saltiness and an over-salted kajaik cannot be rescued.
• The okra is the thickener. If the stew is thin, simmer it uncovered for longer rather than adding flour or starch.

Substitutions

• No dried Nile fish: use dried or smoked mackerel, stockfish or West African smoked catfish from an African grocer, soaked the same way.
• Fresh okra can be replaced with 60 g of dried okra powder (weika), stirred in for the last 5 minutes.
• Sesame oil is traditional in the region; groundnut or sunflower oil is a fair substitute.

Variations

• Kajaik made with a heavy hand of ground peanut, closer to a groundnut stew.
• A dry-style version cooked down until the sauce clings to the fish, eaten with asida.
• Made with fresh Nile perch when the catch is good, cooked for a shorter time.

History

A Dinka dish of dried Nile fish stewed with okra, born of the fishing camps of the Sudd wetlands and eaten with asida.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kajaik?

Kajaik is a soup & stew from South Sudan: dried fish stew with okra, eaten with kisra or asida. A Dinka dish of dried Nile fish stewed with okra, born of the fishing camps of the Sudd wetlands and eaten with asida.

How long does Kajaik take to make?

Kajaik takes 20 min plus 2 hr soaking of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kajaik?

Yes, within limits. No dried Nile fish: use dried or smoked mackerel, stockfish or West African smoked catfish from an African grocer, soaked the same way. Fresh okra can be replaced with 60 g of dried okra powder (weika), stirred in for the last 5 minutes. Sesame oil is traditional in the region; groundnut or sunflower oil is a fair substitute.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kajaik?

Dried and smoked river fish is the everyday protein of the Nile communities of South Sudan, and its concentrated, slightly funky flavour is the point of kajaik. Fresh fish makes a pleasant stew, but not this one.