The Classic Nigerian Jollof Rice

For Nigerians and most west African countries, Jollof rice is bae. No party or gathering is complete with Jollof rice. It is easy and immeasurable goodness. It the most sort after because of its very unique taste because Jollof Rice isn’t just sweet, but also delicious and very unique in its own way. The good thing about this delicacy is that it can be eaten at any time, serve during parties and all season. According to Julia Child “No one is born a great cook. One learns by doing”

The most import aspect of this food is that, you can also customize the recipe to your taste.

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons of Canola oil

1 Tbsp butter

4 Fresh tomatoes or one 14.5oz can of diced (no salt) any brand If you decide to buy canned

1 6oz can Tomato paste

4 Red onions

2 Red bell peppers (tatashe)

crayfish (optional, but I love to use it)

4 Habanero pepper (scotch bonnet) (put as much or as little as you want, depending on how spicy you want your rice)

4 1/2 cups of long-grain parboiled rice

2 cups of chicken or meat stock (not necessary for vegetarians

Spices

Maggi or Knorr cubes

Salt

Cayenne pepper and black pepper

White pepper

Bay leaves

Curry powder

Garlic or onion powder

Ginger

Thyme leaves

Instructions

- Heat about 4 tablespoons of canola oil and butter in a medium-sized pot on medium heat and throw in some chopped red onions. Allow the onions to fry until the redness starts to slightly fade off.

- Next, pour in your tomato paste and let it fry with the onions. Make sure to stir the paste consistently to avoid burning. Do this for about 10 mins, or until the paste fully fries in the oil. Add in your crayfish for an extra tasty flavour.

- Blend some tomatoes, onions, habanero peppers, and red bell peppers together until you achieve a smooth consistency.

- Pour in the blended mixture into the pot and fry it together with the tomato paste.

- Add all your spices (BUT DON’T ADD SALT YET) and mix. Cover the pot and allow the tomato to fry in the oil. Add more oil if necessary. You really want to let the tomato fry to remove the slappy sour taste, so make sure you don’t rush this process. I would recommend letting it fry for about 15-20 mins. Be sure to continuously stir the mixture to avoid burning.

- At this point, while the tomato is frying, begin to wash your long grain parboiled rice. Make sure to get rid of as much starch as possible by washing the rice until the water used becomes very clear. This helps to avoid the rice from sticking together when cooking.

- Once the tomato is done frying, add your chicken stock to the mix and taste to see if it requires any salt. Add salt if necessary and mix.

- Now add in your washed rice (and a bit of water if necessary to cook the rice) and mix it together with the fried tomatoes. Turn down the heat to the lowest on your burner and cover the pot. I personally like to cover the pot with aluminium foil before putting on the lid just to make sure the heat stays within the pot without escaping from the lid hole.

- Allow the rice to cook for about 30 minutes.

- After about 30 minutes open the pot and properly combine all the ingredients together. Cover the pot again, and let it cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the rice has fully blended in with the mixture.