Jollof rice is a festive/celebratory dish enjoyed by many West African. It is a spicy one pot rice dish with a rich tomato base with origins from the Wolof tribe. People of Wolof tribe can be found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup of Golden Sella Basmati Rice
- 1 tin plum/chopped Tomatoes.
- ½ tube tomato puree
- ½ cup frozen Mixed vegetables /frozen peas
- 1 white Onion
- 2 Bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Rosemary
- 1 teaspoon Curry powder
- Sea salt to taste
- ½ cup cooking oil (preferable Avocado)
- 2 Vegetable stock/Bouillon cube
- 1 bell Pepper
- 1 scotch bonnet
- 1 finger of Ginger
- 1 cloves of Garlic
Instructions
- In a blender/food processor, add 1 cup of water, plum tomatoes, bell Pepper, ½ onion, scotch bonnet, garlic and ½ finger ginger. Blend till smooth.
- Chop or slice ½ onion.
- In a pan, heat oil and add half of the sliced/chopped onion and stir-fry for 1 minute. Then add a tomatoes puree and cook for a further minute.
- Add the blended mix, the bay leaves, curry powder, dried thyme, Bouillon cube/powder pinch of salt and cook for minutes on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes till reduced. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. This stew will be the base for the jollof.
- Wash the rice thoroughly and parboil in a separate pot for 5 mins. Rinse and add to the stew and mix properly.
- Cover pot with foil/parchment paper before putting a lid over it. Put on low heat and cook for ½ hour. Mid way stir rice as sauce tends to settle at the bottom of the pot. This will also ensure rice cooks evenly.
- Once rice is done, add the other half of sliced white onions, fresh tomatoes and stir thoroughly.
- To get the Party flavour, transfer jollof into an ovenware and bake in a preheated oven at 200 for 10 mins. This will give it a smoky taste. Hence the name Party jollof.
