Jollof Rice
The chef Tunde Wey is based in New Orleans, but he was born in Nigeria, where jollof rice is a well-loved dish. The rice is cooked in a flavorful tomato and pepper purée; his version is vegan, and laced with chile heat.
- Total:
- Serves: 7 persons
Ingredients
- 2medium tomatoes, roughly chopped (about 5 ounces each)
- ½medium Scotch bonnet pepper (or use a habanero pepper), stem removed
- ½medium onion, roughly chopped
- 3small red bell peppers, roughly chopped (about 5 ounces each)
- ½cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½teaspoons salt
- 1teaspoon curry powder
- 1 ½teaspoons hot ground chile pepper, such as African dried chile or cayenne
- 1 ½teaspoons garlic powder
- 1tablespoon plus 1 heaping teaspoon onion powder
- 2bay leaves
- ½teaspoon ground ginger
- 1tablespoon dried thyme
- 2 ½cups medium-grain rice
Instructions
Step 1
In a blender, combine tomatoes, scotch bonnet pepper and onions; purée. Pour out half the purée into a bowl; set aside. Add the bell peppers to the purée remaining in the blender and pulse until smooth. Add to the mixture that was set aside and stir to combine.Step 2
Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add blended vegetables along with the salt, curry powder, ground chile pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, bay leaves, ginger and thyme. Bring mixture to a boil.Step 3
Stir in the rice until well mixed, then reduce the heat to low.Step 4
Cover pot and let cook until rice is al dente, about 45 minutes. Check after 30 minutes; if rice is sauce-logged, remove the lid to cook off the excess sauce. If rice seems dry, stir in 1 to 2 cups water. Allow the rice at the bottom of the pot to char a bit to infuse it with a smoky flavor.