Nigeria / West Africa

Party-Style Jollof Rice

Smoky, tomato-deep jollof finished over low heat so the bottom layer catches just enough.

80 minutes Serves 8

Where this comes from

Jollof descends from the Wolof empire of Senegambia, where thieboudienne — rice cooked in tomato and fish — was the ancestral dish. It traveled with the empire, then across the Atlantic, where it shows up in Charleston as red rice and in New Orleans as jambalaya. One grain, three continents, one lineage.

Ingredients

3 cups long-grain parboiled rice
6 Roma tomatoes
2 red bell peppers
2 scotch bonnet peppers
1 large onion
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt to taste

Method

01Blend tomatoes, bell peppers, scotch bonnets and half the onion into a smooth base.
02Dice the remaining onion and fry in oil until golden. Add tomato paste and fry 3 minutes until it darkens.
03Pour in the blended base. Cook down 20–25 minutes, stirring, until the raw edge is gone and oil rises to the top.
04Add stock, bay leaves, curry, thyme and salt. Bring to a boil.
05Rinse the rice and stir it in. Cover tightly with foil, then the lid. Cook on the lowest heat 30 minutes without stirring.
06Let the bottom catch for the last 5 minutes — that smoky layer is the point. Fluff and serve.

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