APRONS AND PANS - JOLLOF RICE

So much ado about jollof rice. To some, it has become some kind of sacred dish. No doubt, when cooked right, jollof rice is very delicious. You want to get that ‘party rice’ taste, grab your apron and pans.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups long grain white rice
• Tomato stew 500 mls
• Chicken (whole chicken, drumsticks or chicken breast)
• Pepper and salt (to taste)
• 2 medium onions
• 3 Knorr cubes
• 2 teaspoons thyme

BEFORE COOKING  JOLLOF RICE

1. Prepare the tomato stew. It is advisable to prepare tomato stew prior and keep in the freezer. This is so that whenever you want to cook any jollof rice related dish, it is just a matter of adding it to your cooking.

2. If you will use whole chicken then wash and cut it into pieces. Cook with the thyme, Knorr cubes and 2 bulbs of onions (chopped). The cooking time depends on the type of chicken. The rooster or cockerel cooks much faster than the hen but the hen is definitely tastier. When done, grill it in an oven. You may also fry it. This is to give it a golden look which is more presentable especially if you have guests for dinner.

3. Parboil the rice. Wash the parboiled rice and put in a sieve to drain.

COOKING DIRECTIONS

1. Pour the chicken stock and the tomato stew into a sizeable pot and leave to boil.

2. Add the drained parboiled rice, salt and pepper to taste. The water level should be the same level of the rice. This is to ensure that all the water dries up by the time the rice is cooked.

3. Cover the pot and leave to cook on low to medium heat. This way the rice does not burn before the water dries up.

If you parboiled the rice, it should be done by the time the water is dry. Taste to confirm. If not, you will need to add more water and reduce the heat to prevent burning. Keep cooking till done.

Serve with fried plantain (dodo), moinmoin, salad or coleslaw.

Culled from allnigerianrecipes.com. Edited. Image credit: Google images.