REDDNUT

Jollof rice is a dish popular to many West African countries, and you certainly can’t fault this dish when cooked right. Traditional jollof rice is always a hit, but do you know there are so many other tasty variations? One example is Coconut Jollof.

I love the combination of ingredients that come together to give this particular dish its aroma and taste. The good thing is my recipe does not make use of a lot of tomatoes. Therefore, even with the inflated price of tomatoes in Nigeria, Nigerians can still make this.

The recipe for my Coconut Jollof rice is as follows.

Jollof Recipe – feeds 2-3 people

1 cup jasmine rice

1 coconut (you’ll need the water) – optional

1/2 cup Coconut milk

2 tomatoes

1 medium Onion (prefarably red)

1/2 onion sliced

1 red bell pepper

One rodo/scotch bonnet (depending on how spicy it is/ you like your food, you can add an extra one)

5 sprigs fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons curry powder

10 teaspoons beef or chicken stock

2-3 Knorr cubes

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method

First wash tomatoes, bell pepper, rodo, and peeled onion, then blend until smooth in a food blender.

In a clean pot, heat vegetable oil. Add in curry powder, thyme leaves and the remaining sliced onions. Fry until onions are golden.

Pour in your blended mix, and cook until the stew is slightly thick. Add in beef stock and cook for an extra five minutes, then add in coconut water from your coconut and coconut milk. Cook for additional 5 minutes, then add in seasoning cubes.

Side note: To get water out of coconut, use a sharp object to pierce through the eyes of the coconut, then drain the liquid. Use a knife to hit the coconut in the middle all the way round, and cracks should begin to form, making it easier for it coconut to break in half when hit on the ground or a hard surface.

Turn the heat down low, then add in your jasmine rice. The trick to cooking any type of rice is cooking it on low heat, and letting the trapped heat do the work. Cover the pot with cling film or foil paper and let the rice cook for about 20 minutes without turning it.

After 20 minutes, check that rice is cooking evenly and use a wooden spoon to stir. Do not stir too much or you will break rice.

If at any point the rice needs more liquid to cook, use more coconut water/milk. Try to avoid using water and if you must, use hot water in little quantity. Bathing your rice in water might result in soggy rice or alter the taste.

Jasmine rice cooks roughly in about 30 – 40 minutes. When all the liquid is dry and the rice is soft, turn off the fire.

Enjoy rice with any type of poultry of your choice. I served this with some grilled plantain and stewed goat meat, snails and shrimps.

Note: If you are not a fan of jasmine rice, Coconut Jollof can also be made with basmati and long grain rice. However, it works best with Jasmine and Basmati. Plus the aroma of those two are to die for.

Thank you for reading, and let me know if you do/when you try this out. I promise you will not be disappointed.