Liberian Dry Rice is a traditional Liberian recipe for a classic dish of rice with herbs and meat served with a meat stew, fried plantains and chicken. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Liberian version of: Liberian Dry Rice.
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This is a classic Liberian dish that's often served with fish (here with fish and chicken) where the rice is steamed until dry and includes tinned meats and fish in its production.
Ingredients:
300g (2/3 lb) chicken pieces (wings, thighs, drumsticks)
300g (2/3 lb) fish steaks
1 smoked fish (bonnie or mackerel)
3 eggs, hard boiled, cooled and peeled
4 habanero chillies
3 garden eggs
6 fresh okra
1 onion, sliced into chunks
1kg (6 cups) rice, soaked and drained
2 tins sardines
1 tin corned beef, cubed
1 tin spicy spam, cubed
2 Maggi cubes
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp chicken seasoning herb mix
1 tbsp Maggi chicken seasoning
1 tbsp garlic granules
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Remove the head and tail from the smoked fish and cut the fish into about 12 chunks.
Bring 2l (8 cups) water to a boil over high heat. Add all the seasonings, including 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper and stir to combine. Stir in the soaked and drained rice, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Now add the smoked fish, corned beef and spam, stirring to combine. Cover and continue cooking.
In the meantime, stew together the chillies, garden eggs, okra and onion in a small pan with 120ml (1/2 cup) water. Once tender, take off the heat and set aside.
Season the chicken and fish pieces with a Maggi cube and 1 tbsp black pepper, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp chicken seasoning and 1 tbsp garlic granules. Mix with your hands and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. After this time, deep fry at 180C (355F) for about 8 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the meat is cooked through. Once done, set aside to drain on kitchen paper (you may need to cook in batches).
Check on the rice and arrange the tinned sardines on top (along with their oil). Add the okra to a bowl and mash with a fork to a paste then set aside. Add the remaining vegetables to a food processor and process to a smooth paste.
Check the rice and if tender, spoon onto a serving plate. Arrange the fried fish and chicken over the meat, add the mashed okra and mashed vegetables on the side and serve accompanied by fried plantains.
