How To Cook Nigerian Jollof Rice
Nigerian Party Jollof is undoubtedly the most popular rice recipe in Nigeria, hardly will you go to any party, be it a birthday party, naming ceremony or wedding without the honourable presence of our beloved party jollof.
Nigerian party jollof has a smoky and distinct taste from any other jollof rice, it is very delicious and will leave you craving for more.
Some people as funny as it sounds actually goes to wedding or parties around them just to have party jollof rice because it taste different from the regular jollof rice they eat at home.
Well if you belong to that category or have always wondered why your homemade jollof rice taste different from the party jollof then you are at the right place because this recipe will explain all of that and more, so read on.
I'm going to show you how to prepare the party jollof rice in your home without the use of firewood and still get that smoky authentic party jollof taste.
Ingredients:
• 5 cups Rice
• 10 Plum Tomatoes
• 5 Tatashey (Red bell pepper)
• 3 Green bell pepper
• 5 Red scotch bonnet pepper (Ata rodo)
•1 cooking spoon Tinned tomato puree
• 1kg Meat (Chicken, Goat meat, Beef, Turkey or Assorted meat)
•1 liter Liquid stock (meat water)
• 2 Red onions
• 5 Cloves Garlic, minced - optional
• 4 Bay leaves 'whole'
• 1 tablespoon Dry Thyme
• 1 tablespoon Curry powder
• 4 Seasoning cubes
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable Oil for frying
Cooking Directions:
Wash the meat properly and place in a pot, add seasoning cubes, salt, curry, thyme and ground/minced, onion and garlic then cook till tender.
Remove the meat from the stock (meat water) and fry in a seperate pan. Set the stock aside separately and the oil used in frying the meat separately as well. You will need them later.
When preparing the rice to be used for the Nigerian party jollof, its either you soak it in hot water for some minutes before washing or you parboil the rice before washing.
This removes the excess starch and prevents the rice from sticking together while remaining firm. Either way, you'll get the same result
Wash the rice thoroughly and place in a pot. Add enough water just enough to cover the rice and parboil for 10 mins.
Wash the parboiled rice with cold water, drain and set aside. OR Soak the rice in hot water for some minutes, rinse with clean water, drain and set aside.
Remove the seeds from the tatashey and green bell pepper and wash well. Wash the tomatoes, scotch bonnet pepper (ata rodo) and onion well too.
Blend everything to a smooth puree. Pour the Blended puree into an empty iron pot and boil till there's no water left leaving just the concentrated puree in the pot.
Add the tinned tomato paste into the boiled tomato and pepper puree. Pour the oil used in frying the meat into the pepper puree and use it to fry the pepper puree while stirring constantly so it doesn't get burnt for about 5 mins.
Pour the stock (meat water) into the fried puree and mix well. Add the dry thyme, curry powder, seasoning cubes, salt to taste.
Gently add the parboiled rice into the puree and stock mixture and make sure the stock covers the rice, if it doesn't simply add water to ensure it does. Add the Bay leaves to the pot and cover.
Leave the jollof rice to cook and soften and once you notice the liquid in the pot has almost dried up leaving concentrated tomato puree at the top, turn with a wooden spoon or spatula.
At this time, check if the rice is soft enough and also check for salt and if the seasoning from the stock is enough, if not add the necessary ingredients.
If its not soft enough, add some more water and leave to dry up once more till its completely soft. Now you can turn with any type of spoon and let the burning begin!!!!
Leave the rice to burn underneath till you begin to smell it, once it completely dries up at the top, turn off the burner and open the pot slightly for the vapor to evaporate.
Your Authentic Nigerian Party Jollof Rice is ready, you can garnish with boiled peas or serve with boiled egg, fried chicken, beef, fish, turkey or fried goat meat. Enjoy!
Please don't forget to share this recipe and leave a comment below and also give me feedback on how your party jollof rice turned out.
Notes:
• Don't turn with a metal spoon so it doesn't start burning before its done. Get a wooden spatula ready for this purpose.
• Don't use your beautiful non stick pot for this purpose else you'd be required to scrub the pot with an iron sponge afterwards thereby damaging the pot.