Smoky Jollof Rice
It’s hard to think of a more iconic West African dish than jollof rice, the red-tinged rice dish with depth, thanks to aromatics and spices that meld into a comforting tomato base. “Jollof is really a one-pot meal that is very adaptable,” says chef Isaiah Screetch, who adapted this recipe that plays with, but honors the Nigerian version of the dish, with plenty of heat from habanero and serrano chiles. Fit to feed a crowd, it makes a perfect base for skewers of grilled suya or a braised entree like Jamaican oxtail stew, partnered with a side of fried plantains.
Ingredients
- 2ripe Roma tomatoes, cored and quartered
- 1large red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1whole habanero chile, destemmed
- 2serrano chiles, destemmed
- 4garlic cloves, peeled
- 1tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1/3cup olive oil
- 1medium red onion, diced
- 1teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4cup tomato paste
- 2tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1teaspoon curry powder
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 1teaspoon dried thyme
- 1teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1/2teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 1/4cups basmati rice
- 2dried bay leaves
- 1tablespoon granulated chicken bouillon (preferably Knorr)
- 1/4cup chopped scallions (optional), for garnishing
- 1/4cup chopped cilantro (optional), for garnishing
Directions
Prepare the tomato mixture: In a blender, combine tomatoes, bell pepper, habanero, serranos, garlic, ginger and 2 cups water. Blend on high until smooth; set aside.
Prepare the rice: Heat olive oil in a large, lidded pot over medium. Add onion and salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and sauté, stirring often, for 2 to 3 minutes until the oil turns orange and the tomato paste darkens. Add paprika, curry powder, cumin, thyme, cayenne, black pepper and turmeric; stir and continue cooking until everything is well combined, 1 to 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the rice, making sure every grain of rice is coated. Add bay leaves and chicken bouillon.
Turn heat to high, stir in tomato mixture and bring to a simmer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, adjust heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not remove the lid or stir rice.
Turn off heat after 20 minutes and set a timer for 15 minutes. Allow rice to sit and do not remove the lid.
After the 15 minutes are up, remove lid, and fluff rice with a fork, separating all the grains. If rice seems to be a little undercooked, stop fluffing, steam for another 5 minutes and check again.
Serve garnished with scallions and cilantro.
Nutrition
- Info
- Trans Fat: 0 gramsFat: 10 gramsCalories: 307Saturated Fat: 1 gramUnsaturated Fat: 8 gramsSodium: 316 milligramsSugar: 4 gramsFiber: 3 gramsCarbohydrate: 50 gramsProtein: 5 grams