Party Jollof Rice

Name: Party Jollof Rice
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped; 3 Roma tomatoes, quartered; 1 yellow onion, chopped; 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero, stemmed, seeded for less heat; ⅓ cup neutral oil; 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1½ tsp curry powder; 1 tsp dried thyme; ½ tsp ground white pepper; 2 bay leaves; 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock; 1 tbsp kosher salt; 2½ cups parboiled long-grain rice, not jasmine or basmati; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 Roma tomato, thinly sliced; ½ red onion, sliced into thin rings

Nigerian party rice: long grains steamed in a fried pepper and tomato base under a foil seal, then left on the heat until the bottom catches and the whole pot smells of smoke.

Fold a double layer of foil over the pot, then press the lid down on it. Steam has nowhere to go, so the rice cooks in very little liquid and the grains stay separate. At the end, turn the heat up and let the bottom scorch on purpose. That smoke is the flavor everyone is after.

Ingredients

Pepper base
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 Scotch bonnet or habanero, stemmed, seeded for less heat
Rice
⅓ cup neutral oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1½ tsp curry powder
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground white pepper
2 bay leaves
3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 tbsp kosher salt
2½ cups parboiled long-grain rice, not jasmine or basmati
To finish
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 Roma tomato, thinly sliced
½ red onion, sliced into thin rings

Method

Rinse the rice in a few changes of cold water until it runs nearly clear. Drain it in a strainer.
Blend the bell peppers, tomatoes, chopped onion and Scotch bonnet until completely smooth. Pour into a wide saucepan and boil uncovered, stirring now and then, until reduced by half to about 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes.
Heat the oil in a heavy 5-quart pot over medium. Cook the sliced onion until the edges brown, about 6 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and fry, stirring, until it darkens to brick red and starts to stick, about 5 minutes.
Add the reduced pepper base, curry powder, thyme, white pepper and bay leaves. Fry, stirring often, until thick and the oil pools at the edges, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the stock and salt and bring to a boil. Taste it. It should be a little too salty, since the rice takes all of that in. Add the rice, stir once, and bring back to a simmer. The liquid should sit just level with the rice.
Cover the pot with a double layer of foil, press the lid down on top, and turn the heat to low. Cook 15 minutes without lifting it.
Peel back the foil and fold the rice with a spatula, bringing the bottom up to the top. Reseal and cook until the grains are tender, about 14 minutes more. If the rice is still firm and the pot looks dry, sprinkle in 1/4 cup hot water and give it 5 more minutes.
Scatter the butter, tomato slices and red onion over the top. Reseal and raise the heat to medium-high. Leave it 4 to 5 minutes, until you hear crackling and smell toasty smoke. Stop there. A black, acrid smell means it went too far.
Take it off the heat and rest 10 minutes, still sealed. Pull the bay leaves, fold everything together, scraping up some of the dark bits from the bottom, and serve.