Jollof rice without tomato puree in a bowl
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Jollof Rice without Tomato Purée

Jollof Rice without Tomato Purée is a traditional Nigerian recipe for a classic one-pot dish of short grain rice in a tomato, onion, red bell pepper and red cayenne pepper base but without tomato purée. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Nigerian version of: Jollof Rice without Tomato Purée.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

50 minutes

Total Time:

70 minutes

Serves:

6

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Chilli RecipesSpice RecipesBeef RecipesStew RecipesNigeria Recipes

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Method:

Rinse the short-grain White Rice thoroughly (note that the best rice for cooking Nigerian rice recipes is long grain parboiled rice, in second place is golden sella basmati rice) under cold water until the water runs clear. This removes excess starch and prevents gummy fried rice. In a large pan, combine the drained rice with 600ml water, the Bay Leaf, and ½ tsp Salt.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a low simmer and cover. Cook for 10 minutes until the rice is about 70% done (it should still retain a slight bite). Drain any excess liquid and spread the rice on a tray to cool. This partial cooking ensures the grains stay separate during the final fry.

Combine the beef and 1 sliced onion in a pan. Scatter over 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 tbsp seasoning powder, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp rosemary.

Add 375ml water and bring just to a boil. Continue cooking over high heat for 12 more minutes then take off the heat. Separate the beef from the stock and set the beef on a plate.

Heat the 500ml oil in a wok or deep saucepan. Once the oil is hot (about 180C) gently add in the reserved beef pieces. Fry for about 5 minutes until the beef is nicely coloured. Remove the beef from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

For the colouring paste, combine 2 of the onions, tomatoes, cayenne chillies and bell peppers in a blender. Add a little water then pulse to chop before rendering to a smooth purée.

Add a little of the oil used to fry the beef to a large pan (a cast iron casserole (Dutch oven) is ideal). Set over medium heat and use to fry the remaining onion for 1 minute. Now pour in the blended mixture. Rinse the blender with a little water and pour this into the pan.

Season to taste with the remaining thyme, curry, seasoning and salt. Now pour in the reserved beef cooking liquid then bring to a boil. Add in the parboiled rice and mix to combine. Cover the pan and cook over high heat for 10–15 minutes. At the end of this time test a few grains of rice to see if they're ready. If not continue cooking for 5 minutes more.

If the rice is done, fluff up the mixture, transfer to a warmed bowl, top with the meat and serve (or serve the meat alongside).