Rihaakuru Boakibaa

I usually make a small Rihaakuru Boakibaa ( or savoury cake made using rihakuru or fish paste), as hubby is not a big fan of it.  So its just me and the boys who enjoy it.
Its slightly difficult to get the texture right as it always ends up rather crumbly but it's one of my favorites especially when growing up.  I like to grind everything in the food processor so I get a nice smooth batter.  I prefer to grind my own rice than buy store-bought ground rice.

Recipe : Rihaakuru Boakibaa

1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1 1/4 cup grated coconut
1 large onion, very thinly sliced
1 scotch bonnet, thinly sliced
1 inch ginger, grated finely
12 curry leaves, finely sliced
3-4 tablespoons good quality rihaakuru
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
1/4 cup water
Juice of 1- 1 1/2 lime
oil for greasing

First, Soak the basmati rice in water,  after washing in several changes of water, for at least 3-4 hours. Then drain almost all the water and grind with 1-2 tbsp of water in a food processor or one of those wet grinders.  You want a nice almost smooth but not too fine consistency.  Add the grated coconut and pulse a couple of times so both coconut and rice are the same consistency. Remove to a bowl.

In to the same grinder or processor, add the onions, ginger, curry leaves, and scotch bonnet ( reduce a little when making for kids but when it comes to rihaakuru boakiba it needs a bit of heat to taste good. )  and pulse a few times to chop them up.

Place the ground onion mix into a bowl, add salt  ( be careful as rihaakuru is salty itself, so add a pinch first. Then add juice of 1 lime and  3 tbsp of rihaakuru, Mix, with your fingers ( wear gloves as the scotch bonnets are hot). Add turmeric and then add the ground rice and coconut mixture. Mix with your fingers and have a little taste. Adjust the taste of rihaakuru , lime and chilli to your taste.

Add a little water till you get quite a wet mixture, like this.

I know its not exactly a very pretty sight but it tastes  delicious once cooked. 

Pour into a well-oiled 8-inch round baking tray, you can even line it with some baking paper if you have any,  and pop it into a preheated oven at 200 Degrees C for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.   Take the boakibaa out, cool in-tray. Once completely cool, cut into squares and serve. It is a crumbly boakibaa, so needs gentle handling.