How to cook party jollof rice with bay leaf
Do you want to know how to cook party jollof rice with bay leaf? In fact, you will have to spend a minimum of time and effort to create this culinary masterpiece in your own kitchen. Just follow the simple recommendations listed in this article.
What is party jollof rice?
There are several recipes of this delicious and nutritious dish. Ingredients and cooking technology can vary according to the country where you live. There are 3 most popular varieties. The one was invented by the people from Senegal. They were the first to start eating this food. The citizens of Ghana have their own version, which in many respects differs from the Nigerian recipe. Today we will speak about the latter.
Party jollof rice is called so because without special knowledge it is difficult to cook the same delicious dishes as those that we can find at parties. Experienced cooks know that right technology allows achieving an authentic, rich taste. You will never get such a pleasure from the ordinary boiled rice with spices.
Usually, jollof rice is cooked on hob, firewood or in the oven. The hob is the most common method which we will use in this recipe.
Secrets of excellent taste
Butter and white pepper can make the taste of rice truly incomparable. These ingredients are not mentioned in all recipes, but their role is really difficult to overestimate. The butter ensures the lush consistency and enriches the taste. White pepper makes the dish spicy and mouth-watering. You definitely need to try this to make sure by your own experience.
Perhaps in time, you will come up with own ideas. A kitchen is a place for creativity. You can replace the ingredients, delete or add something.
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In this recipe, we will not parboil the rice. Although it’s also possible to work with parboiled rice if you like. However, then you will have to spend less time on the frying because of what the consistency will not be ideal. The advantage of unpeeled rice is its authentic taste. However, every cook can have a personal opinion about this.
An important task in the preparation of jollof rice is giving it an orange/red color. To do this, you need to stock up with tomato paste. Do not use too many tomatoes at first. Sometimes only paste is quite enough. The main thing to watch is not to eclipse the taste of bell pepper. If you lose your sense of proportion, the rice will have a sharp, damp, somewhat sour tomato taste.
Also, do not add too much water/stew. Start with a minimum amount. It is always easier to add than to extract the ingredients back. When you realize that you have added too much, it may be late. This error can spoil your mood and purchased products. The preparation of jollof rice should always take place in a calm and joyful atmosphere.
But no more theory. Let's proceed to practice!
Ingredients for jollof rice
You should prepare the following:
- 4 cups of rice;
- 120g of tomato paste;
- 1/2 scotch bonnet (ata rodo);
- 1/2 teaspoon of any seasoning of your choosing;
- 3 large/ 4 medium red bell peppers (tatashe);
- 1/2 can of plum tomatoes/ 2 medium size tomatoes;
- 2 cups of beef or chicken stock;
- 2 onions;
- 1 tablespoon of minced ginger;
- 100ml /6 tablespoons of cooking oil;
- 2 tablespoons of butter;
- 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder and thyme;
- 3 knorr chicken cubes;
- 2 teaspoons of white pepper;
- 3 bay leaves;
- 1 medium size tomato for garnishing;
- add salt according to your taste.
How to make party jollof rice?
- First, you need to mix the red pepper, tomatoes, scotch bonnet, 1 onion. All the ingredients should be milled to a smoothie with an even density. For now, put the bowl with this substance aside.
- Pour the vegetable oil into a large pot and put it on the hob. Turn on mid-intensity fire. Add half of the chopped onion and fry until a pleasant aroma appears.
- Now you can add a mixture of pepper, tomato paste, knorr cubes, curry powder, 1 teaspoon of white pepper, bay leaf. Cover the mixture with a lid and allow it to be fried until the oil rises. On average, this stage takes 15-20 minutes.
- You can spend this time rinsing rice to get rid of starch. If you want to parboil rice it is necessary to do it during 5-8 minutes using a little water and a light fire. Take care that the rice is not too soft. Treat it with warm water and put aside.
- When the oil rises to the top, you can add meat, cover the dish with a lid and fry it for another 8-10 minutes.
- Now you can mix this substance with rinsed rice.
- It's best to put the rice in a separate large pot and mix it with stew. So you can add the right amount and avoid the problem of excess addition.
- Mix the ingredients carefully. It is advisable to start mixing with liquid and gradually add meat depending on your taste preferences. After obtaining a homogeneous mass, you can add butter...
- ...chopped ginger, the remaining amount of white pepper and make little more work on mixing.
- Cook the rice for a little while until it completely softens. Stir the dish periodically (use a wooden spoon). Then the rice will not gather in the lumps.
- Add a little water so that steam is released during cooking. However, make sure that the dish is not too liquid. Do not be afraid when rice starts to burn slightly. This is a normal phenomenon due to which this culinary masterpiece acquires a pleasant aroma of smoke.
- When the rice is softened, you can add onion rings, chopped tomato and mix vegetables with a total mass. This step should be performed just a few minutes before the end of cooking. Mix everything well.
- Turn off the heat and leave the dish on steam to absorb residual heat for 1-2 minutes. That's all! Your jollof rice is absolutely ready. Enjoy!
We hope that this article was useful for you. Now you know how to cook jollof rice with bay leaf!
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Source: Legit.ng
