Jollof Rice

Ingredients

• 500 g long grain rice, rinsed
• 500 g ripe tomatoes
• 2 red peppers
• 1–2 scotch bonnets, to taste
• 2 onions — 1 blended, 1 sliced
• 4 tbsp tomato purée
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 600 ml chicken stock
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves

Method

1. Blend the base

   Blitz the tomatoes, peppers, scotch bonnet and one onion to a smooth purée.

2. Fry the sliced onion

   Soften the remaining sliced onion in the oil until golden.

   8 min

3. Reduce the stew base

   Add the tomato purée and fry for two minutes, then pour in the blended base with the curry powder and thyme. Cook it down hard until it darkens and the oil rises to the surface. Under-reduced base is the reason jollof turns out sour and pale.

   25 min

4. Add rice and stock

   Stir the rinsed rice through until every grain is coated, then add the stock and bay. It should sit just below the surface of the liquid.

5. Steam it

   Cover with foil and a tight lid and cook on the lowest heat without stirring. Stirring breaks the grains and turns it to porridge.

   30 min

6. Chase the smoke

   For the last five minutes turn the heat up briefly to catch the bottom. That faint burnt layer is the smoky party-jollof flavour people are after.

   5 min