I have posted the recipe for jollof rice before, but I made it last week and realized just how time consuming it can be with all those ingredients and all that prep. So for those who looked at the recipe and then ran screaming, I am going to walk you through the prep and cooking to show you how you can make it and end up with minimal clean up at the end. It’s going to be a lot, but it’s doable and worth it. First, though let me catch you up on what’s been happening here on Quarantine Island.
My garden continues to grow since I ordered plants in a fit of boredom. Lots of plants. All at once. They are now arriving in boxes. Lots of boxes. I spent all day today putting plants in my front yard. I’m a little obsessive about my garden, so I have diagrams, plant markers and planting lists. I also have sore joints. But, hey it looks great. The sky opened up after I finished, so no pictures.
The gardening has been a godsend since I have run into to a shortage of yeast and baking powder at the store. I have no idea who these people are who are buying up baking supplies. Apparently, everyone has decided that they are going to learn to bake from scratch at the same time. So, on my biweekly grocery run I was confronted with row after of row of cake mix and no baking powder. Apparently they had even googled how to make baking powder at home because when I went to get cream of tartar to mix with the baking soda I had at home, it was all gone. Sigh.
Not to be defeated in my bid to be the most domestic woman in Philadelphia, I decided to work in the sewing studio. I have been living in yoga pants and t shirts, so I decided to make a new fitted dress. Now if you know me, you know that I am on the fluffy side. Years ago I had some issues with my thyroid which make it difficult for me to keep my weight down. I have spent the last 15 years going to the gym, walking, trying to eat less and generally worrying about my weight. It doesn’t make me slim, but it keeps things under control. My goal is to keep my weight at a reasonable level. I am happy as long as I fit comfortably in a single plane seat. So far this has been the case.
Since I have been quarantined for a month, I have obviously not gone to the gym or the yoga studio. So, no 2 hours of yoga a week, no rowing machine, no Zumba class on Friday. With this in mind I decided to re-measure myself. My measurements had not changed. This could not be! My endocrinologist was very clear that I would need to work tirelessly to keep from weighing an enormous amount. I went to the bathroom and weighed myself. My weight was the same. Then it hit me. All this time I have been running around like mad trying to keep my weight at a reasonable level when I could have been sitting at home eating cake! I was so upset I went to the kitchen and made a pan of gingerbread.
So, now for that jollof tutorial.
As a refresher, here’s the ingredient list as it appeared earlier
o 1 large onion, diced
o 3 large garlic cloves
o 1/4 tsp grated ginger
o 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 or 15 oz size)
o 2 carrots, diced
o 1 bell pepper sliced
o 1 sweet red pepper sliced (optional)
o 1/2 cup green peas
o 1 hot pepper of your choice, chopped (I generally use jalapeño because I grow them but habanero gives more heat)
o 1/2 can of tomato paste
o 200 ml tomato juice
o 1/2 cup vegetable broth
o 1/2 cup coconut milk
o 2 cups water
o 1 to 3 tsp olive oil (as needed)
o 3 cups long grain white rice uncooked
· spice mix
o 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
o 1/4 tsp mild curry powder
o 1/4 tsp moringa (I have not found moringa anywhere, so I omitted it)
o 1/4 tsp turmeric
o 1/4 tsp cumin
o 3 bay leaves
o Salt to taste
The instructions are pretty complicated. Any time a recipe has a 16-item instruction list, you might want to think twice about attempting it on a weeknight. So here is a break down of how I usually tackle this thing. As we are all locked in our homes, this might be a good time to give it a try.
The trick is to do all the prep work before you start actually cooking. You should have a set of bowls to work with. I have a set of those nesting glass Pyrex bowls with lids that you can get at Target. Then I have a lot of little glass prep bowls to hold spice ingredients. If you don’t have any of that stuff, you can use cereal bowls or whatever you have on hand, but if you can swing it, get some prep bowls and a set of nesting mixing bowls. It makes cooking complicated things so much easier. And the large mixing bowl can double as a salad or serving bowl in a pinch.
Anyway, here’s the prep order
Get a large skillet with a lid and high sides and put it on the stove ready to go. Don’t turn the heat on yet. Also have a 9 x 13 pan standing by along with a roll of aluminum foil.
Make the spice mix and put it aside in a small bowl with a lid. (You can do this way ahead of time, like the day or the night before while you are cooking something else). Put all the spices away and clean the measuring spoons and put them away.
Now you are going to prep all your ingredients and line them up on the counter.
Put the olive oil bottle near your skillet.
Get out your cutting board, a grater and a good knife.
Dice the onion and put it in a bowl by itself.
Slice the bell peppers and put them in a bowl.
Dice the carrots and put them in a bowl with the green peas.
Chop the hot pepper and put it in one of the little prep bowls
Grate the ginger and mince the garlic. Put the ginger and garlic together in a prep bowl.
Clean the cutting board the grater and the knife and put them away. Also clean up all the detritus from cutting the veggies. Now you can do the liquid ingredients and the rice:
Measure out the 200 ml (about 1 cup) of tomato juice and put it in a container
Combine the coconut milk and the broth (1/2 cup each) in their own measuring cup. If you don’t have coconut milk use 1 cup of broth. I found that the rice tasted about the same when I had to make this substitution for a friend who is allergic to coconut. I may never bother with the coconut milk again.
Put 2 cups of water in a measuring cup.
Open your small can of tomato paste and put half of it in a prep bowl. Put the rest in a storage container in the fridge where you will swear that you will use it to make spaghetti sauce and then discover it covered with fuzz a month down the road. (Wait, did I say that out loud?)
Open the can of diced tomatoes and put it aside
Now here comes the rice.
You are using a long grain rice like basmati, and you want to keep it from turning to mush since we will be cooking it a lot. Part of keeping the rice firm is to rinse the starch from it. If you skip this part you will get mushy rice and you will not be able to blame me. You need three cups of rice. Here’s how I rinse it. I get a strainer with a long handle and put the rice in it one cup at time. Run cold water over the rice until the water runs clear, then put the rice in a bowl. Do this for each cup of rice. You can put it all in the same bowl.
Now all your ingredients should be ready and most of the stuff you used for prep should be cleaned and put away. Fill your sink with soapy water and as you empty prep bowls and measuring cups, put them in there. Or if you are one to put these things in the dishwasher, then do that. I don’t judge. At this point you should be able to follow the assembly instructions with minimal stress. Here they are in case you forgot:
1. Drizzle oil into a large pan and sauté onions over medium heat until golden brown
2. Toss in the ginger and garlic and sauté for thirty seconds
3. Add tomatoes bringing the heat up to high. Cover and cook for five minutes
4. Add the tomato juice and tomato paste, reduce heat to medium high
5. Add the spice mix to the pot and mix well. Add the hot pepper
6. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced
7. Add the bell pepper
8. Add the rinsed rice to the pot stirring really well
9. Add the broth, coconut milk and salt to taste
10. Reduce heat to medium low and cook covered for 15 minutes stirring occasionally
11. Remove the bay leaves
12. Mix in carrots and green peas
13. Add the water
14. Transfer everything to a large casserole dish, spread rice in an even layer and cover with foil.
15. Bake at 375 degrees for 60 minutes
16. Let cool 10 minutes before serving
So, there you have it. Take a deep breath and keep cooking!
