PARTY JOLLOF RICE.

YUMMY JOLLOF RICE WITH BEEF RICH IN TOMATO SAUCE!

Have you ever gone to a party and Jollof rice dinor reach you? Or you 

were told Jollof rice has finished. These are heartbreaking statements that may probably be the cause of world war 3. Let's take a minute silence in advance to the grumbling stomach that will hear these words in an Owambe this weekend! LOL

 Anytime I'm in charge of FOOD and drinks in an owambe! I feel on top of the world ehn! Such power is likened to me having the keys to ALL the nuclear weapons in the world! *bosslady fun rara mi! -_-

 

Aunty e jor, shei rice yen shi 'ku. E jorh e bami bu sinu 'takeaway' yii *flashes 360 megawatts of smile* I still haven't learnt how to respond to such requests... I'd rather flash my 540 megawatts of smile back at you. No be only..  LOL

Today's post is gonna be about ALMIGHTY PARTY JOLLOF RICE! 

The most important ingredient you would need is just Boldness. Cos fear fear go just turn the thing upside down. Don't surround yourself with too many ladies, you'll get confused. We ladies are in the habit of shooking mouth too much. Look yourself in the mirror and say you can do this... Let's get to business! 

INGREDIENTS

·          Long grain rice. (Basically as much as you need)

·        Ripe Red Tomatoes

·        Onions

·         Tatashe (red bell pepper)

·         Ata Rodo

·        Margarine (optional)

·        Tomato Paste (I prefer using St Rita paste, it works well for me)

·        Groundnut oil

·        Curry Powder

·        Dried Thyme

SOME OF THE SPICES I USED.

Onions and Garlic!

• Salt to taste
• Seasoning cubes
•        Beef/Chicken Stock 
•       Ginger

PREPARATION

 Blend the tomatoes, onions, tatashe, and ata rodo to a smooth

paste. I love adding ginger to my blended pepper; it gives it added aroma and taste. Proceed to boil it in a pot to reduce the water content in it, drastically reducing the volume of the pepper. Melt the tomato paste in a bowl of water to make it more running.  

 Well, the next step is to parboil the rice. It's an added advantage if you can pre boil. But if not, no wahala. Personally I'm not into preboiling. And the Jollof still turns out nice!

So in case you want to parboil:  pour the rice unwashed into a pot with a lot of water.  Let the rice come to a boil till you can see the creamy starch floating on top of the water and the rice has now the white colour of boiled rice. Taste the rice and make sure it is firm before taking it off the heat. Once the rice has parboiled, pour out all the water and then proceed to wash the rice with cold water to stop the cooking process.

If you didn't parboil, just rinse the rice for about 3 to 4 times with plenty water and salt.

 Now it's time to prepare the tomato sauce! Hmmm..

 I start with melting a sachet of margarine before I add my oil (This is optional tho). Chop at least 2 large red onions and garlic. Fry lightly in your choice of oil. Once the onions are translucent add the running tomato paste and allow frying for about 5-7 minutes. I allow the tomato paste to fry because I wouldn't want the taste to go sour.  Then add the boiled pepper, allow frying. The tomato paste must be a ratio of 30 to 70 mixed peppers. At first, the oil will combine well with the pepper. You will know it has fried when the oil floats to the top and the color has changed from golden to deep orange.

  Add curry powder and dried thyme in tablespoon increments, and taste every few minutes. Add seasoning cubes, Jollof rice seasoning and Benny. Basically, add all the spices.

 Let your taste buds and personal preference decide if you want to add more. This is Important. Be careful though you should allow the spices slightly overpower the sauce. 

  Add the beef/chicken stock this is to help thin out the paste to reduce the chance of burning and to also provide salt and seasoning.

   Taste for salt and seasoning. If it needs more, add more. Keep adding the stock till it just slightly covers the rice. Now it is time to add the pre-cooked rice to the pot followed by more beef stock and then stir with a wooden spoon.      Then you cover the pot properly.

It will burn a little for sure, and you want that anyway to create a Smokey flavor.

     After a few minutes, check the rice and stir occasionally, If some bits have burnt, no problem, just try not to scrape the bottom of the pot harshly while you stir. Taste the rice for softness. If it is still too firm, add a little stock, and I mean a little, and reduce heat. You may never need to top up. If you do, you will probably need to do this only once to avoid mashed Jollof.  Cover again and let it cook till the rice is totally soft. 

ALMIGHTY JOLLOF RICE IS READY!

 You can serve with moinmoin, dodo, salad/coleslaw meat or chicken tossed in a rich sauce!  Nom! Nom!! Nom!!!

BEEF IN RICH TOMATO SAUCE!

                         KIDNEY, PEAS AND SWEET CORN FOR GARNISHING!

 

 

If you have any questions, don't forget to send an email- thabythar@gmail.com