Gitoki and Sambaza (Vegetable and Fruit Stew & Fish)

Rinse the sambaza three to four times until the water is clear. Remove the stomach contents of the fish without damaging the spinal cord, which is edible. Season and marinate with lemon juice, salt, and pepper, 2 tbsp. of flour and 1 tbsp. of curry powder. Set aside in a refrigerator to allow the marinade to absorb.
To prepare the dodo, place in a large pot and detach the leaves from the stems, then clean and rinse in cold water. Finely chop the leaves. In a sauce pan, sauté some julienne (fine strips) of onion and garlic, add the dodo leaves and cook with 0.5 cup of cream until soggy. Place the cooked dodo aside. [Chef’s tip: add flavours of your choice or grated parmesan cheese to finish.]
Place rinsed peas in boiling water and boil until soft but not overcooked (approx. 20 mins). Peel the green bananas and place in 1 l of water. Add a small amount of vinegar to avoid discoloration by oxidation. Chop all of the remaining onions, carrots, garlic, leek, capsicum and tomato. In a large sauce pan, heat some cooking oil. Add the chopped ingredients and the cooked peas and season well. Once the ingredients in the pan start to brown, add some tomato paste and about 2 tsp. of curry powder. Add the green banana and make sure it’s coated by the curry mix. Once coated properly, add some water and 2 chicken stock cubes to cover the fruit and slowly simmer on medium heat. Once cooked, the green banana should be soft and should be possible to split using a spatula. [Chef’s tip: add 2 tsp. of natural Rwandan ghee to enhance the gitoki.]
As a final step, heat 1.5 l of oil in a deep-frying pan and fry the sambaza until crispy and dry. To serve, place the gitoki on a plate with a side of dodo and crispy sambaza.