Contributed by Nicholine Akou  

Cooking is a favorite pass time when I am not writing and sharing the love of the culinary arts with others is such a joy. I shared my first recipe A Simple Recipe for Peanuts on the Lino blog and got some interesting feedback. This has motivated me to make a weekly segment in which I will be sharing some of my favorite recipes, culinary tips and dieting advice. That said, it will be a pleasure to share my customized recipe for the fish roll. As a Cameroonian, I grew up eating fish roll because it is one of our popular street foods. Fish roll can make great side dish, a snack or served as finger food in parties.

The fish roll constitutes the roll and the filling and each has particular ingredients and unique ways of preparation. Breaking down the parts makes it easy to manage and less intimidating. Let’s make fish roll, yeah!!!

Ingredients for filling.

  • 1 big mackerel or 2 tins of sardine
  • A pinch of salt
  • Seasoning to taste (maggi, onga etc.)
  •  A cup of grated  carrots and green beans (optional)
  • White/black pepper (optional)
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 large chili pepper (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil

Ingredients for the dough

  • 1kg of flour
  • 3 teaspoons of sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • ½ a liter of lukewarm water
  • ½ teaspoon of yeast
  • A pinch of baking powder
  • A knob of butter (optional)
  • Finally, 2 liters of vegetable oil for deep frying.

Method of preparation

Step one:

Always start with the filling because it is the more challenging part of the recipe.

  • Steam the mackerel for 5 minutes and remove all the bones.
  • Heat water to boiling point; add grated carrots, greens and chopped onion for about 5 minutes and strain in a colander.
  • Mix all the steamed items along with salt, seasoning and pepper.
  • Mix well and taste for salt.

Step two

  • Put the flour in a bowl; add sugar, salt, baking powder, butter and the lukewarm water.
  • Mix until it is smooth.
  • Remove the dough and place on a board and use a rolling pin to flatten.
  • Add dry flour in case the dough is sticking on the board or it is too soft.
  • Cut the dough into stripes, place filling and wrap in a roll.
  • Place the rolls on a grease board to avoid any sticking.
  • Finally, heat oil for 3- 5minutes then fry the rolls for 3 minutes then flip and fry for 2 more minutes until a golden brown color is obtained.

Enjoy your freshly made fish rolls with a chili side dip depending on your taste buds.

Bon appetite!

                                                                                Edited by Emiliene Alemkeng