Name: Nigerian Jollof Rice
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 900 g chicken pieces (bone-in, cut into serving pieces); 500 g long-grain parboiled rice (rinsed until the water runs clear); 6 piece plum tomatoes (roughly chopped); 3 piece red bell peppers (roughly chopped); 2 piece scotch bonnet peppers (adjust to taste); 2 piece onions (one chopped for the blend, one sliced for the pot); 60 ml vegetable oil; 45 g tomato paste; 750 ml chicken stock; 2 piece bay leaves; 1 tsp dried thyme; 1 tbsp curry powder; salt (to taste)

Method

Blend the pepper base

Blend the tomatoes, red bell peppers, one onion and the scotch bonnet peppers into a smooth puree.

Brown the chicken

Season the chicken pieces and brown them in half the oil in a wide pot until golden on both sides, then set aside.

10 min

Fry the base

Add the remaining oil and the sliced onion to the pot, stir in the tomato paste, then fry in the blended pepper puree over medium heat, stirring often, until it darkens and the raw smell cooks out.

This is the step that makes or breaks jollof — don't rush it, a pale sauce means a pale flavor.

15 min

Return the chicken

Nestle the browned chicken back into the sauce along with the bay leaves, thyme and curry powder.

Add rice and stock

Stir in the rinsed rice, pour in the chicken stock, season with salt, and bring everything to a boil.

Simmer covered

Cover the pot tightly, turn the heat down low, and let the rice simmer undisturbed until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

Resist lifting the lid — the trapped steam is what cooks the rice through and builds the smoky bottom layer.

30 min

Rest off the heat

Take the pot off the heat and let it sit, still covered, so the rice finishes steaming.

5 min

Fluff and serve

Fluff the jollof rice with a fork, scraping a little of the caramelized bottom layer into each serving.

Nigerian Jollof Rice

Ingredients

Method

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