Ghanaian Jollof Rice- The Best On The Continent

As a tradition, my family’s  Sunday lunch menu always includes Jollof Rice. It has gradually become a staple in our house unlike growing up back home in Ghana, where it was a rare treat during holidays or special occasions.Jollof Rice is also famous because of the neighbourly context between Nigerian Jollof Rice and Ghanaian Jollof Rice. The jury is out for me. I love Ghanaian Jollof rice and have created this very simple recipe so you can make your own too.

Ingredients

•  5 medium  sized Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 medium sized onion, roughly chopped, set aside
• 2 scotch bonnet peppers (habanero peppers as they are sometimes called)
• ¼ cup of cooking oil(Olive oil tops the list for me)
• I small can of  tomato paste
• 2 cups of  Jasmine rice
• 1 tsp salt to taste
• ½ tsp curry powder
• ½ tsp Anise seeds
• 1 tsp All purpose seasoning
• 1 Knorr stock cube
• 3 bay leaves
• Water, as needed

Directions

1. Blend your tomatoes, red pepper,  peppers in a blender for about 45 seconds, make sure that everything is blended well.
2. In a medium sized pot, heat your oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated add the onions you set aside and fry just until they turn golden brown. Once the onions have turned brown in color add the tomato paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Then add the blended tomato mixture  and fry the mixture with the onions and tomato paste for about 30 minutes. Make sure you stir consistently so that the tomato mixture does not burn.
3. After 30 minutes, turn the heat down to medium, and add the chicken stock or vegetable . Mix and add your seasonings (salt, curry powder, thyme, all purpose seasoning, and the Knorr stock cube). Continue to boil for 10 minutes.
4. Add the rice  to the pot. Mix it very well with the tomato stew. At this point if you need to add water so that the rice is level with the tomato mixture/chicken stock go ahead and do so. Add the bay leaves, cover the pot, and cook on medium to low heat for 15-30 minutes.
5. When the liquid has almost dried up add the remaining tomato stew**, cover, and let it cook for another 5-10 minutes heat until the liquid has completely dried up. Turn off the heat, mix thoroughly, and your Jollof Rice is ready to be eaten!

Rosie’s Extra Tip-I love my  Jollof Rice with hot sauce and Heinz Salad Cream

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