Nigerian Jollof Rice (Jollof Rice) — Smoky Party-Style Tomato Rice

• 600 glong-grain parboiled rice
• 2red bell peppers (stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped)
• 4plum tomatoes (roughly chopped)
• 1red onion (roughly chopped)
• 1Scotch bonnet pepper (use 2 for a hotter party-style rice)
• 60 mlwater
• 120 mlneutral vegetable oil
• 140 gtomato paste
• 3 clovegarlic (finely grated)
• 1 inchfresh ginger (peeled and finely grated)
• 2 tspNigerian-style curry powder
• 2 tspdried thyme
• 1 tspsmoked paprika (helps echo the smoky party-rice flavor)
• 0.5 tspwhite pepper
• 2 leafbay leaves
• 2.25 tspfine sea salt
• 2 tspgluten-free chicken bouillon powder (use halal-certified bouillon if required)
• 650 mlhalal chicken stock (hot)
• 30 gunsalted butter

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the parboiled rice in several changes of cool water until the water runs mostly clear, then drain it in a fine sieve for 10 minutes. This removes surface starch so the grains cook separate rather than turning mushy.

2. 2

   Blend the red bell peppers, plum tomatoes, chopped red onion, Scotch bonnet, and 60 ml water until smooth. Pour the mixture into a wide saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until reduced by about one-third and thick enough to mound slightly on a spoon.

3. 3

   Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy 5 l pot over medium heat, then add the sliced red onion and cook for 6 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the tomato paste and fry for 8 to 10 minutes, scraping the bottom often, until the paste darkens to brick red and the oil begins to separate.

4. 4

   Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, just until fragrant. Stir in the reduced pepper base, curry powder, thyme, smoked paprika, white pepper, bay leaves, salt, and bouillon powder, then fry for 12 minutes until the stew looks glossy and concentrated.

5. 5

   Add the drained rice and fold it through the stew until every grain is coated orange-red. Pour in the hot chicken stock, stir once thoroughly, and bring the pot to a steady boil over medium-high heat.

6. 6

   Cover the pot tightly with a sheet of foil and then the lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 25 minutes without stirring. The foil traps steam, which is essential for properly cooked Nigerian jollof with separate grains.

7. 7

   Open the pot, scatter the butter and onion rings over the surface, and gently lift the rice from the edges with a fork without fully mixing it. Re-cover and cook for another 10 minutes on low so the top grains finish steaming and the bottom develops a light smoky crust.

8. 8

   Turn off the heat and let the covered pot rest for 10 minutes before serving. Fluff the rice gently from the bottom upward, removing the bay leaves, and serve hot with fried plantain, grilled chicken, or moin moin.