Oven Cooked Jollof Rice (Oven baked Jollof Rice)
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Serves: 9
 
Ingredients
  • •3cups of rice
  • •Bouillon
  • •salt to taste
  • •1 tbsp of thyme
  • •1tsp curry
  • •1tsp black pepper
  • •1tsp white pepper
  • •¼ tsp of freshly grated nut meg
  • •2-3 bay leaves
  • •3tbsps of tomato paste
  • •a knob of butter
  • •½ and ¼ cup of sunflower or coconut oil(please eye ball less or more)
  • •2 medium sized plum tomatoes
  • •1-2 large red bell peppers(seeded)
  • •3-4 habanero peppers or ata-rodo
  • •1½ medium onions
  • •1-2 garlic cloves(grated)
  • •¼tsp freshly grated ginger
  • •4½ cups of hot meat stock or hot water
  • for garnishing
  • •1 sliced plum tomatoes(you may use about 6 roughly sliced cherry tomatoes)
  • •1really small onion(sliced)
  • A hand full of peas
  • •1 finger of roughly chopped cayenne or chili pepper(optional)
Instructions
  1. wash rice under running water until clear and drain.
  2. chop and smoothly blend the tomatoes, peppers and one full onion. Pour it into a sauce pan and boil to remove excess water or like I always do ; pour through a fine mesh sieve to drain off the liquid; that way there is no need to boil out the liquid.
  3. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
  4. Put a knob of butter into a cooking pot(a Dutch oven preferably; as we are using the oven to finish off the rice); then pour in the oil. Chop the other half of the onion and add into the pot when the oil heats up. Sauté the onion until translucent; then add the curry, thyme and bay leaves. Stir fry for a about2-3 minutes to release it's flavor; then add the tomato paste and fry until the paste looks a little dark and dry. Add in the blended tomato, pepper and onion; mix along with the garlic. Season with some bouillon, black pepper. white pepper and thoroughly fry until the mixture looks dark and the oil floats to the top (Drain off any excess oil). Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the raw rice; making sure the tomato mixture coats each grain. Pour in the meat stock, check for seasonings, cover with foil along with a tight lid and place the pot into a 350 oven.( If using a baking pan, simply pour the stewed mix into the pan along with the rice and meat stock or hot water; then put it into the oven) Increase the heat to 375 degrees and cook covered for about 20minutes. Check for doneness, if the rice still needs a little cooking cover tightly and let it cook further (do not add water as you want your rice dry. If not add ⅓ cup of water and cook for another 10minutes)
  5. stir in the garnishes and add the ginger and nut meg. Cover up again and leave to steam in the oven for about 10minutes before serving
Notes
if making it coconut rice, pour in the coconut milk and top it off with the meat stock or hot water
To boil the blended tomato and pepper mix simply pour it into a pot and cook on medium heat until the water dries up and it becomes a thick paste
Recipe by Nigerian Lazy Chef at https://www.nigerianlazychef.com/2015/08/oven-baked-jollof-rice/