This right here is a game-changer. The rice is cooked together with ingredients in an oven, the result is great-tasting Jollof rice. The best part is the process is so easy. It is spicy but spices can be varied to suit your palate or you can accompany it with yoghurt. Excellent served roasted veggies & chicken or on its own – either hot or cold the next day.
Ingredients
- 350 g/ 12.3 oz/ 2 ¾ cups parboiled rice
- 4 medium tomatoes
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1-2 red chillies or ½ -1 Scotch bonnet
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 larger onion
- 5 tablespoons tomato paste
- 700 ml/ 23.6 fl.oz/ 3 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- Black ground pepper
- salt
Instructions
- Roughly chop the tomatoes, red bell pepper, and chilli.
- Give them to the food processor and puree them until smooth. Alternatively, use an immersion blender.
- Give the puree to a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or non-stick pan. Chop the onion and fry it until a bit softer, about 3 minutes.
- Add the tomato-pepper puree and simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, stir very well and let simmer for another 4-5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove about ¼ of the sauce and set it aside.
- Give the vegetable or chicken stock to the pot. Crumble in the Maggi stock cube and stir well to dissolve. Bring to a boil.
- When the stock is boiling, add the washed rice, thyme, curry, smoked paprika, bay leaves, and salt to taste.
- Stir well, turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the pot.
- Cook until the rice is almost dry and cooked through.
- Don’t worry if the rice catches slightly at the bottom of the pan, that is the desired effect, as long as it doesn’t burn completely.
- Add the remaining tomato sauce and stir very gently without breaking the crusty rice layer at the bottom of the pot.
- Add some smoked or regular ground black pepper and salt to adjust the taste.
