West African · Free recipe
Party Jollof Rice
A blended base of tomatoes, red peppers, and scotch bonnet is fried down until brick red, then long-grain rice steams in it under a tight lid. The smoky, faintly scorched bottom layer is prized at celebrations, so resist scraping it clean too soon.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 10 min
- Total
- 1 hr 30 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Medium
Method
-
Blend the tomatoes, bell peppers, scotch bonnet, and chopped onion until completely smooth, then simmer the puree in a saucepan over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes until reduced by about a third.
-
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat and cook the sliced onion for 5 minutes until soft, then stir in the tomato paste and fry for 5 minutes until it darkens from bright red to rust.
-
Add the reduced pepper puree, curry powder, thyme, bay leaves, and bouillon and fry, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes until the oil rises to the surface and the base smells sweet rather than raw.
-
Stir in the rice until every grain is coated in the red base, then pour in the stock, season with salt, and bring to a boil.
-
Cover the rice with a sheet of foil pressed onto the surface, put the lid on, and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes without stirring, adding a splash of water only if the rice is dry but still hard.
-
When the grains are tender, dot the butter over the top, raise the heat to medium for 3 to 5 minutes to build a light smoky crust on the bottom, then fluff gently with a fork and serve.
Zest note from the test kitchen
Frying the pepper base until the oil separates is what gives party jollof its depth; if the base still tastes sharp and tinny, keep going before adding rice.
