Henrietta made Nigerian Jollof Rice and talked about the intersection of African food with American soul food.
Ingredients:
3 Cups Rice
2 Red Bell Peppers
6 Roma Tomatoes
2 Habanero Peppers (skip if you don’t like spicy food)
1 lb of goat meat
1 lb of chicken
4 cups of the stock of your protein of choice (chicken, goat, beef)
1 can of Tomato Paste
1/2 cup of coconut milk
2 Red Onions
1 cup Vegetable oil
1/2 stick of Butter
A few slivers of Ginger Root
2 tbsp Curry powder
2 tbsp Thyme
2 tbsp Smoked Paprika
4 - 2 pack Knorr cubes (Bouillon cubes)
1.5 tbsp White pepper
6 Bay Leaves
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme
1/2 bulb of Garlic
1 Medium Size Tomato for Garnishing
1 Small Onion for Garnishing
Salt to Taste
First, set aside a sprig of Rosemary, thyme, and about 2 cloves of garlic. Blend the rest of the Rosemary, thyme, garlic, ginger, and red onion together. Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth. Set aside.Season your meat with salt, smoked paprika, 2 packs of 4 knorr cubes, seasoning salt, and white pepper. Pour the herb mixture over the meat and massage it into the meat + let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. Set the blender aside (don’t rinse out).
Add your meat to a pot. Add 1/4 of a medium sized red onion, sliced. Cover it. Turn the heat to medium and let the meat produce its own stock. About 20 minutes. At this time, take the meat (except the chicken) out of the pot and add it to the pressure cooker and set it to pressure cook for 20 minutes for goat meat, 30 minutes for goat, beef/lamb/shaki, etc. Take the chicken out with a slotted spoon or strainer and set aside. Add a half a cup of water and turn the heat to low & let the stock cook for 10 more minutes. Set aside.
Blend tomatoes, red bell peppers, 1 large red onion and the habanero peppers together in the same blender you used earlier.
In a dutch oven, add the olive oil to the pot. Add 2 bay leaves, the set aside sprigs of rosemary, thyme and the 2 cloves of garlic to the pot. Add a few slivers of freshly grated ginger too. Season the oil with salt, white pepper, 1 single knorr cube, and stir. Add the blended tomato mixture in when the oil gets hot enough that it sizzles when the tomato hits it. Fry the tomato mixture for about 30 minutes on medium-high heat until the mixture becomes fully dehydrated and becomes a paste. Add in the canned tomato paste and mix together for about another 15 minutes on medium. Set aside.
Once the stock is ready, mix it into the tomato mixture and turn the heat to low. Add in salt, 1pack of 2 knorr cubes, and curry and allow it to cook on medium low for about 15 minutes. This is your stew. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of stew and set aside.
Take your meat out of the slow cooker with a slotted spoon or strainer and take the chicken out of the pot it was cooked in. Fry in a pan with about 3 cups of vegetable oil for about 2 minutes each side. Remove and add to a bowl. Add the 1/4 cup of stew you set aside. Slice up 1/4 red onion and 1 red bell pepper, add into the bowl and stir. Add chicken to a roasting pan. Add to a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on how crispy you prefer it.
Boil about 4 cups of water. Put your rice in a bowl that is durable enough to withstand boiling hot water and large enough to contain additional water. Add the hot water to the bowl with rice in it and use a wooden stir to stir the rice around for about 2 minutes. Drain the water and add the rice to the stew mixture. Add your coconut milk, butter, 1 pack of 2 knorr cubes, 2 bay leaves, salt, and stir. Taste to make sure the flavour is to your liking. Then, Turn the heat to low + cover the pot with foil to trap in all the steam and cover the foil seal with the cover of the pot to lock it in OR use a dutch oven pot and cover normally. Let it cook for 30 minutes on low heat. Check on it + stir it around once or twice (but not all the way to the bottom, let some burn). Do not over stir, this dish requires very minimal stirring. Let the flavours soak into the rice. Add in slice red onions and 2 bay leaves about 15 minutes in and stir. Cover for another 10-15 minutes. Taste and see if the rice is cooked. It should be fluffy and light, each separated and not gummy. Cook until done.
Serve jollof with the roasted meat and garnish it with freshly chopped parsley. Fry a plantain if you are able to get your hands on ripe ones for the complete effect
