Le Me Tsolola, a simple stew of fish and meat cooked in coconut milk, is one of the Comoros Islands' most traditional dishes. It's rather simple to make, but I found the lack of spices in this recipe to make for a pretty bland stew. I didn't add the required cayenne pepper, because I was hoping my kids would eat it and they don't eat spicy food (but then they ended up eating at a friend's house, so I don't know if they'd have liked it), so that may make a big difference. As it was, it basically had a light coconut taste. I also didn't think the meat was tender enough (I used chuck roast). The fish (I used mahi mahi) was quite good and it held its shape, though not its flavor (which is not necessarily a bad thing). Finally, I couldn't find green bananas in any close market, so I substituted with plantains. Neither Mike nor I liked them - but this might be our personal preferences.

If you make it, do use fresh tomatoes. They also held their shape, and added a very nice acidic element to the dish.

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Le Me Tsolola

• 2 tbsp. oil
• 3/4 lb fish, cubed
• 3/4 lb stewing beef, cubed
• 2 green bananas, peeled & cubed.
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 4 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 can coconut milk
• salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large, wide pot on medium-high. Add the fish and meat and sear on all sides until brown. Move the fish & meat to the sides of the pot and add the bananas. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onions, tomatoes and coconut milk and mix. Add the seasonings, mix, bring to a boil, then reduce temperature to low, cover the pot and simmer for one hour.

Serve with white rice

Adapted from this recipe at Celtnet