Jollof rice is made with tomatoes, onions, scotch bonnets, and chilli peppers. The final product looks a bit like pilawo but the difference is that Jollof rice has a sweeter edge in it because of the predominant use of tomatoes as an ingredient. Try your hand at it and you might discover a new culinary delight!

Ingredients

câ¬c 5 medium-sized tomatoes, roughly chopped

câ¬c 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped

câ¬c 1 medium-sized onion, roughly chopped, set aside

câ¬c 2 scotch bonnet peppers 

câ¬c 1/4 cup of groundnut oil

câ¬c [b]3 tbsp tomato paste[/b]

câ¬c 2 cups of Pakistani or basmati rice

câ¬c 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock

câ¬c 1 tsp salt to taste

câ¬c 1/2 tsp curry powder

câ¬c 1/2 tsp thyme

câ¬c 1 tsp All purpose seasoning

câ¬c 1 Knorr stock cube

câ¬c 3 bay leaves

câ¬c Water, as needed

Instructions

1. Blend your tomatoes, red pepper, scotch bonnet peppers in a food processor or blender for about 45 seconds, make sure that everything is blended well.

2. In a medium-sized pot, heat your oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated add the onions you set aside and fry just until they turn golden brown. Once the onions have turned brown in colour add the tomato paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Then add the blended tomato mixture (reserve about 1/4 cup and set aside) and fry the mixture with the onions and tomato paste for about 30 minutes. Make sure you stir consistently so that the tomato mixture does not burn.

3. After 30 minutes, turn the heat down to medium, and add the chicken stock. Mix and add your seasonings (salt, curry powder, thyme, all-purpose seasoning, and the Knorr stock cube). Continue to boil for 10 minutes.

4. Add the Pakistani or basmati rice to the pot. Mix it very well with the tomato stew. At this point, if you need to add water so that the rice is level with the tomato mixture/chicken stock go ahead and do so. Add the bay leaves, cover the pot, and cook on medium to low heat for 15-30 minutes.

5. When the liquid has almost dried up add the remaining tomato stew**, cover, and let it cook for another 5-10 minutes heat until the liquid has completely dried up. Turn off the heat, mix thoroughly, and your Jollof Rice is ready to be eaten!

Recipe from evseats.com

Picture credit: tasty.com