Jollof rice recipe

Parboiled rice steamed inside a tomato stew fried until the oil separates, with the bottom of the pot left to catch for smoke.

1 hour and 35 minutesmedium12 ingredients

Ingredients

• 400 g parboiled long grain rice
• 100 g tomato paste
• 400 g plum tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 onion
• 120 ml vegetable oil
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt

How to make Jollof rice

1. Blend 400 g of plum tomatoes, 1 red bell pepper, 1 scotch bonnet and half an onion until smooth, then boil the puree 15 minutes to drive off the water.
2. Slice the other half onion and soften it in 120 ml of vegetable oil, then add 100 g of tomato paste and fry it 5 minutes until it darkens and loses its raw edge.
3. Pour in the reduced puree and fry on medium heat 20 to 25 minutes, stirring, until the oil clearly separates and floats on top. This stage is the whole dish; stop early and you get pink rice with no depth.
4. Stir in 500 ml of chicken stock, 1 teaspoon of thyme, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of curry powder and 1 teaspoon of salt, and taste the liquid now.
5. Rinse 400 g of parboiled long grain rice until the water runs clear and stir it in; the liquid should sit just level with the rice, no more.
6. Seal the pot with foil, put the lid on top and cook on the lowest heat 30 minutes without stirring or lifting the lid.
7. Turn the heat up for the last 2 minutes and let the bottom layer catch slightly. That scorched base is where the smoky party jollof flavour comes from.
8. Rest 10 minutes off the heat, then fold the grains from the bottom up with a fork and serve with fried plantain.

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