Mukene

Ingredients

Fish

• 300 gdried mukene, silver cyprinid
• water, for rinsing

Pot

• 3 tbspoil
• 2onions, sliced
• 4tomatoes, chopped
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 1green pepper, chopped
• 1 tspcurry powder
• 1chilli, chopped

Also

• 1 tspsalt
• black pepper
• 100 mlwater

Optional

• 2 tbspgroundnut paste
• coriander

To serve

• posho or ugali
• matoke
• greens

Directions

1. Rinse them briefly in cold water, twice, and drain them well. Rinse quickly rather than soaking. If they are very salty, soak them for 10 minutes and taste one before going further.
2. Tip them out and set them aside. Fry the onions in the oil until soft and golden, about 8 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, green pepper, chilli and curry powder and cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook them down for 8 to 10 minutes until they collapse into a thick sauce.
4. Let the tomato reduce properly before the fish goes back in, or the mukene soften and fall apart in the liquid. Stir in the groundnut paste now if you are using it, slaked first with a little water.
5. Return the toasted mukene to the pan with the water and turn them through the sauce. Simmer gently for 5 to 8 minutes only.
6. Keep it short. These are tiny fish and they disintegrate completely if stewed for long, and the point is that they keep some texture.
7. Taste for salt, remembering the fish are already salted from drying. Serve with posho, matoke or greens, spooned over.

Technique

• They are strongly flavoured and a little goes a long way in a pot.
• Dried mukene keeps for months in a sealed container away from damp.
• Groundnut paste is a common addition and makes a richer, milder dish.

Substitutions

• Omena, dagaa, or any small dried fish such as Nigerian crayfish or ikan bilis.
• Fresh silverfish, which needs no soaking and a shorter cook.

Variations

• With groundnut sauce, which is common in the west of Uganda.
• Deep-fried crisp and eaten as a snack.
• With more chilli, as a hot relish.

History

Rastrineobola argentea is dried on lakeshore racks; long a cheap protein, it is now also ground for animal feed, pushing up prices.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mukene?

Mukene is a main from Uganda: tiny sun-dried Lake Victoria silverfish fried with tomato and onion. Rastrineobola argentea is dried on lakeshore racks; long a cheap protein, it is now also ground for animal feed, pushing up prices.

How long does Mukene take to make?

Mukene takes 20 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Mukene?

Yes, within limits. Omena, dagaa, or any small dried fish such as Nigerian crayfish or ikan bilis. Fresh silverfish, which needs no soaking and a shorter cook.

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

Rinse them briefly in cold water, twice, and drain them well. Rinse quickly rather than soaking. If they are very salty, soak them for 10 minutes and taste one before going further.