Jollof rice

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 4 tomatoes, ripe
• 125 ml sunflower oil
• 2 stock cubes
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp, heaped tomato paste
• 1 chili pepper(s), small piece, optional
• Salt
• 1 tsp, heaped curry powder from the Afroshop
• 1 ½ cup(s) basmati rice

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Nigerian, meatless

Finely dice one and a half onions and add them to a small saucepan with the oil. Purée the tomatoes, the remaining half onion, and the small piece of chili using a hand blender. Add sugar to reduce the bitterness. Heat the onions with the oil and season with salt. Add the tomato and onion juice to the hot oil (careful, it may splash), stir well, and simmer over low heat in a covered pan. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Add the stock cube. Mix the tomato paste with a little water until creamy and season with the curry powder. Then add to the sauce, stir, and continue simmering. Season to taste, adding a little more salt or curry powder if desired. When the oil begins to settle to the surface, remove the pan from the heat. Fill a large saucepan 1/3 full with water and bring the rice to a boil. Since the rice isn’t washed, I drain the boiling water and fill it with fresh water until it’s about 2 cm above the rice level, then add salt. Cook in a covered pot over medium heat, without stirring. If the rice starts to boil over, lift the lid and continue cooking on the lowest heat. The more water evaporates, the more small “steam holes” will appear in the rice. Now you can add the pre-cooked sauce, but don’t stir. The liquid from the sauce will combine with the remaining water, allowing the rice to finish cooking. If you’re worried about the rice burning on the bottom, you can run a knife through the rice to see if there’s still enough liquid. Remove the pot from the heat as soon as the liquid has evaporated. Stir gently to prevent the rice from becoming mushy. We like to serve this with mackerel or chicken, or boiled eggs, and a fresh salad or avocado.