HOW TO COOK NIGERIAN JOLLOF (PARTY JOLLOF)

 Nigerian Jollof Rice Ingredients:

• 2 cups (approx. 500 grams)Precooked long grain  rice
• 5 Tablespoonful tomato paste(very important)
• 4 whole tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper (tatashe)
• 2 scotch bonnets peppers/atarodo
• 100ml vegetable oil
• About 600ml Meat or Chicken stock
• A small onion (sliced)
• 1 tablespoonful ground crayfish(optional)
• ½ teaspoon each of Thyme and curry
• 2 small Bay leaves (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt to taste
• 1 stock cube
• Water, as needed(details in recipe below)

Cooking Directions for Nigerian Jollof Rice:

<<Before cooking Nigerian Jollof Rice>>

*Parboil(precook) the Rice and set aside..
TIP: Parboiling the rice, helps to start the cooking process and gets rid of the excess starch in the rice, that usually makes the rice grains to clump together (a.k.a Soggy rice).(see faq below for clarifications and nswers to questions regarding this step)

Now to cook the Nigerian Jollof Rice:

1.  First, prepare a little stew or sauce .
Do this by blending the fresh tomatoes and peppers together;then dry out excess liquid by boiling in a pot for few minutes. ..if you already have tomato stew, you can skip this step.
Then, Place a pot on heat, add some oil, add chopped onions, fry a bit and then add the blended tomatoes & pepper mix, fry for about 10 minutes and then add the tomato puree.
Cook until the tomato loses its sour taste and the oil begin to rise to the top.

  Tip: The use of the concentrated tomato paste is IMPORTANT if you want to get that deep reddish-orange color and taste of the party jollof rice.

2. Now Scoop out about a quarter of the stew and set it aside for later use. 

3. Add the meat or chicken stock to the pot and leave to boil on high heat for 5-10 minutes. Then add the thyme, curry, stock cubes, salt to taste and any other seasoning you like, and boil for 5 minutes.

    TIP: This is another important step in cooking Nigerian Jollof Rice. If the stock isn’t hot enough before adding the precooked(parboiled) Rice, the rice will soak up the cold water, become soggy and even get burnt before it is done cooking..Eeeww, we don’t want that right?

4. Next, add the parboiled rice and mix thoroughly; the liquid in the pot should  be at the same level as the rice in the pot. you  can add more water if the meat or chicken stock isn’t enough.
Cover the pot and leave the rice to cook on low to medium heat. High heat will burn the rice before it is well cooked.
 If you’re using bay leaves, just drop it on the rice before covering the pot.
 

 5. When the liquid in the rice is almost dried, add the ground crayfish (this is optional) and the remaining stew to the top (don’t touch the rice)…cover the pot  and simmer until there is no more liquid in the Rice. Now mix thoroughly … and your Nigerian Jollof Rice is Ready.

Tip: just 5 minutes before the rice is completely done, you can add a spoonful of butter/margarine for extra flavor and also garnish with tomato and onion slices before mixing thoroughly.

    TIP:
If you are aiming for the party style jollof rice with that smoky flavor that gives the party jollof rice its distinctive taste, then go a step further and leave the rice to burn  ”A LITTLE” at the bottom(don’t
worry it doesn’t make you a bad cook) ☺
I actually don’t like burning food, but  that is the sure way to get that ” smoky Party rice taste” if you’re not cooking with firewood (but please don’t make it a habit , except you are using a non-stick pot ☺) 
Quick update: Instead of burning your rice(hehehe), you can also add a a few drops of liquid smoke(sold at big supermarkets), or use smoked spices(e.g smoked paprika, smoked salt) to cook the meal. These ingredients can also add that smoky flavor to the jollof rice.

   Now, serve and Enjoy. And beg someone to scrub the pot later ☺