Jollof Rice

This is a rice dish that is packed with flavour. It might seem somewhat daunting at first, but it is actually quite intuitive and will taste amazing. Pair it with any protein and vegetable of choice for a balanced meal.

Taste: Simplicity: Cost:

Recipe adapted from Zenas Kitchen

Tested by Ruyi Wang

Ingredients

1 red pepper
2 red onions
2 red scotch bonnet chillies
150ml vegetable oil
150g double-concentrated tomato puree
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 can of tomatoes
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons thyme
3 stock cubes of choice (veg/chicken/beef)
2 dried bay leaves
600ml water
600g white basmati rice

Method

Finely chop the red pepper, onions, red scotch bonnet chillies (or blitz them if you have a blender).
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the finely chopped/blended ingredients and cook for 3 minutes, then add the tomato purée and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to darken (3-5 minutes).
Add the can of tomatoes and 1 tbsp of ginger paste, stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and partially cover the pot with the lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced by about a third of its original volume and the oil begins to separate from the sauce (12-15 minutes).
Add the curry powder, thyme, stock cubes, bay leaves and water. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste, then cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, rinse the rice thoroughly with cold water until the water runs clean, then drain. Add the rice to the sauce and stir to combine. As soon as it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes. (Or you can transfer them to an oven-safe dish and bake at 170 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes if your pot is not as big.)
The rice should be cooked through when it has absorbed all the liquid. Remove the bay leaves, stir the rice, and serve.