I cook this jollof rice in a delightful blend of tomatoes, pepper, and herb. It is a very spicy affair, but you should adjust the number of scotch bonnet peppers to your tolerance.
Course Main Course
Cuisine African
Keyword jollof rice
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 50 minutesminutes
Resting Time 10 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Servings 6People
Author Jayne Rain
Ingredients
2cupsBasmati Rice
500gChicken breast(in bite-size pieces)
1/2cup Cooking oil
2mediumred Onions
2ripeTomatoes
2redPaprika
1Scotch bonnet
1 tbsp Tomato paste
1 tspgarlic-ginger paste
1tspwhite pepper
1tspThyme
1tspsmoked paprika
1Chicken cube
1cupmixed vegetablespeas, carrots
3Bay leaves
2 1/4 cupshot water(just enough to slightly cover the rice)
1/2cupparsley leaves
1tspSalt
Instructions
Place tomatoes, paprika, onion, and scotch bonnet in a food processor and blend till smooth.
Transfer the paste to a medium-sized pot on medium heat and boil until all the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
In a separate pot, heat oil on medium heat. Add the chicken breast pieces and a pinch of salt and cook till lightly brown. Drain and set aside for later.
In the same pot, add the onion and stir till lightly golden brown. Drain part of the onion in a small plate and set aside for later.
Add garlic-ginger paste to the rest of the onion and stir for another minute.
Add the tomato paste and fry on medium-low heat for 3 minutes.
Follow by adding smoked paprika, thyme, bouillon cubes, salt, and white pepper and stir for 30 seconds.
To that, add boiled tomato and pepper mixture and stir well. Cover the pot and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir regularly.
Meanwhile, wash the rice thoroughly with lukewarm water until the water runs clear.
Add the washed rice and hot water to the tomato sauce and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. The water should be slightly above the rice.
Seal the pot with aluminum foil and reduce the heat to the low. Cook for about 25 minutes.
Open the pot and gently fluff the rice. To that, add the mixed veggies and chicken breast and parsley leaves and cover once more. Steam for another 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 10 to 15 minutes with a covered lid.
After the resting time, add reserved cooked onions and gently fluff the rice once more, and serve.
Notes
The amount of water used in this recipe may vary depending on the kind of rice you use. For example, Parboiled rice or brown rice may need a bit more water and longer cooking time. So adjust accordingly.
The quality of your jollof rice will depend on how tasty your sauce is, so don't rush the process.