DIY Recipes: How to cook Jollof like a pro with these 5 easy steps

The recipe is so easy to follow you won't believe how quickly you'll transform into a Jollof pro.

Ingredients

400g Tomatoes blended

500g Passata

2 Bay leaves

15g Fresh ginger, peeled

100g Fresh onion, peeled

3 Garlic cloves, peeled

120ml Vegetable oil

2 Tbsp Aftrad Village Kitchen 10 Spice Blend

1 ½ Tsp Cayenne Pepper (or to taste)

1 ½ tbsp table salt (or to taste)

900g Long grain perfumed rice (plus 100g if needed)

500ml Boiling water

Method

Place blended tomatoes, passata and bay leave in a medium-sized heavy-based pot. Simmer mixture into a paste. Once done transfer into another bowl.

Blend ginger, onion and garlic into a paste. Add a splash of water to help with blending.

In the same pot used for simmering the tomatoes, heat up the oil until sizzling hot. Add the onion/ garlic/ ginger blend, use a splash of water to deglaze the pot if needed. Fry until it looks like breadcrumbs then add 1 tablespoon of Aftrad Village Kitchen 10 Spice Blend. Stir for about 30s to release the oils from the spices. Now add the tomato paste, stir and fry for about 5 minutes, then add the other spoon of Aftrad Village Kitchen 10 spice blend, add salt to taste fry for another 5 minutes. Ensure seasoning is a little overpowering at this stage.

Wash the rice in a colander until the water runs out clear. Add the washed rice to the stew, mix well and let it fry for 3minutes. At this point, the rice should be well coated with the stew but if you find the stew to be extra, add 100g of washed rice and stir let it fry for a minute. Add the boiling water, check seasoning and add a bit of salt to taste if needed. Cover and let all the water simmer into the rice.

Now cover the rice with two layers of aluminium foil and a pot lid. Lower the heat, preferably move to the smallest hob and on very low heat. Let the steam cook the rice. Only stir with a fork about 30minutes into the cooking time. Let the rice cook until soft.

Serve Jollof rice with your favorite meat .