Nigerian Jollof Rice

Jun 03, 2017

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Jollof is a rice dish mainly cooked by most of the West African countries especially the Nigerians with a blend of different peppers, tomatoes and onions.This recipe is far from basic and full of spices and flavor.

Jollof rice is a household staple food that is majorly accompanied by fried plantains with various veggies. The ingredients used in this recipe are readily available at your local and very affordable.

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hr 15 mins

Serves: 4 to 6 people

MAIN INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of rice
2 red capsicums
4 tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 packet of french beans
1/4 cup of peas {Minji}
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 bullet chilies
1 red onion
Vegetable cooking oil
2 Cups of water

Spices:

1/4 cup of sugar
turmeric
salt
ginger powder
cumin
black pepper
pilau masala
garlic powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

Dice the tomatoes and divide them into two portions -set aside. Dice up the red onion and saute it with vegetable oil on a sufuria over medium heat till translucent. Roughly dice up the red capsicums, with the bullet chilies and place them in a blender + 1 cup of water + part of the diced tomatoes + garlic & blend it all together till well blended.

2. Add in the canned tomatoes. “Canned tomatoes always have a bitter taste, that’s why the sugar + other spices are added later on once the sauce has thickened. Separately blend the red capsicums + 2 diced tomatoes + 1 cup of water for easy blending for 30 secs. Add in the blended mix to the thick sauce mix everything -leave it to simmer for 15 mins.

3. Wash your rice till all the starch comes off. After the sauce thickens again and reduces in quantity- as shown above, add in the washed rice and mix it well. Then add some water to slightly cover the rice. REDUCE the heat to low, and cover it to allow it to cook for 1 hour. Remember 20 mins interval, mix the rice from bottom to top then cover again.

4. I had already prepped my veggies while making the sauce. Here is the final outcome.

PESTO: is the green substance at the top of the rice. It’s an optional part of this recipe:

Its a blend of 1 bunch of parsley + 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese + 1 tea spoon of vinegar {lime juice} + a pinch of salt + 1 Tablespoon of vegetable cooking oil = Place everything in a food processor for 10 secs.

Its very rich in flavor and delicious too.