Jollof rice

Dinner with 18 ingredients.

Servings: 4

Total time: 95 minutes

Ingredients

• 100 gram plum tomatoes chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 gram curry powder
• 50 gram onion chopped
• 70 millilitre olive oil
• 275 gram red peppers deseeded
• 1 scotch bonnet chilli deseeded (use half if you prefer less heat)
• 30 gram tomato purée
• 300 gram long grain rice washed thoroughly
• 5 gram white peppercorns
• 25 gram garlic peeled
• 10 gram butter
• 3 curry leaves
• 300 gram chicken stock
• chives finely chopped, to serve (optional)
• 3 gram dried thyme
• 25 gram ginger peeled
• 120 gram red onion finely sliced

Method

1. To make the base, tip the red peppers, plum tomatoes, scotch bonnet and onion into a blender or food processor, and blitz until completely smooth. Pour into a wide saucepan, bring to a medium simmer and cook until you have a thick paste, around 15 mins. Set aside.
2. To make the rice, finely dice the garlic and ginger, then crush with the back of a knife to create a paste and set aside. Heat the oil in a wide saucepan and add the onions with 10g fine salt. Sweat the onions over a low heat for 10-15 mins until soft and translucent. Turn up the heat to medium and add the ginger-garlic paste, along with the peppercorns, curry powder, thyme and curry leaves, and cook for 5 mins.
3. Add the tomato purée and the ata base, stir well and cook for another 5 mins over a low heat. Pour in the chicken stock, add the bay leaves, stir well and cook for another 5-10 mins over a low heat. Finally, scatter in the rice and stir well, cover with a lid and steam for 10-15 mins over a low heat. Stir gently, add the butter, cover again and cook over a low heat for another 10 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 10 mins. Sprinkle over the chives, if you like, then serve straight from the pan.