Zapappy

Name: Jollof Rice
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb ripe plum tomatoes, quartered; 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and chopped; 1 large yellow onion, chopped; 1 Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed; 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped; 4 garlic cloves; 1/2 cup avocado oil; 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced; 6 oz tomato paste; 2 tsp Nigerian curry powder; 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme; 1 tsp ground white pepper; 3 bay leaves; 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided; 2 Nigerian chicken bouillon cubes, crushed; 3 cups long-grain parboiled rice; 1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock, heated, plus up to 1 cup more as needed; 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Cooking

Ingredients

Pepper Base

1 1/2 lb ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves

Rice

1/2 cup avocado oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
6 oz tomato paste
2 tsp Nigerian curry powder
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground white pepper
3 bay leaves
2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
2 Nigerian chicken bouillon cubes, crushed
3 cups long-grain parboiled rice
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock, heated, plus up to 1 cup more as needed
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions

Prepare the Pepper Base and Rice

Blend the tomatoes, bell peppers, chopped onion, Scotch bonnet, ginger, and garlic until completely smooth. Pour into a wide saucepan and boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 3 cups and no longer watery, 20 to 25 minutes.
Rinse the rice in several changes of cool water until the water is nearly clear. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve for 15 minutes.

Fry the Stew Base

Heat the avocado oil in a heavy 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until softened and golden at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes; remove one-quarter of the onion and reserve.
Add the tomato paste and fry, stirring constantly, until it darkens to brick red, the oil separates, and the raw metallic aroma disappears, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, thyme, white pepper, bay leaves, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and bouillon for 30 seconds.
Carefully add the reduced pepper base. Fry over medium heat, partially covered to contain splatter and stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, until the stew is deeply red, reduced to about 3 1/2 cups, and the oil clearly floats at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.

Steam the Rice

Stir in the drained rice until every grain is coated. Add 1 1/2 cups hot stock, then add only enough of the remaining stock for the liquid to barely cover the rice; the exact amount depends on how far the pepper base reduced. Taste the liquid and add the remaining 1/2 tsp salt if needed.
Bring to a brisk simmer. Press a sheet of parchment directly onto the rice, seal the pot tightly with foil, and cover with the lid. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and steam without opening for 25 minutes.
Open the pot and quickly test a few grains. If the rice is still chalky, drizzle in up to 1/4 cup hot stock around the edges. Fold once from the bottom with a wide spatula, reseal, and steam over low heat until the grains are tender and separate, 8 to 12 minutes.

Toast, Rest, and Fold

Remove the parchment. Scatter the butter and reserved onions over the rice, cover, and raise the heat to medium-high for 60 to 90 seconds, just until a toasted crust forms and a faint smoky aroma rises; stop before it smells acrid. Turn off the heat and rest, covered, 10 minutes.
Discard the bay leaves and fold the rice gently from the edges toward the center, leaving any blackened crust behind. Serve hot.