Recipes -- Jollof rice – a popular dish from west african countries

Jollof rice Recipes Jollof is a dish prepared from rice, tomatoes and usually meat or fish widely eaten in some West African countries including Ghana. It is a popular dish for special occasions and a delicacy for children in particular. It is probably the main dish on the menu of every child’s party in Ghana. There are slight variations of jollof rice from household to household. One can use whatever meat and vegetables you have on hand; chicken, beef, ham, sausage, shrimp, fish or pork and vegetables like beans, carrots, mushrooms and peppers. The dish requires about 15 minutes of preparation and an hour and half of cooking time. Today Mrs Eugenia Manful is going to show you how to prepare Jollof rice. Mrs Manful is a Ghanaian national. She lives with her family in Tema, a town which is located 25 km east of the national capital, Accra, and works as a Chief Revenue Officer under the Ghana Revenue Authority. She loves to cook traditional dishes from her country for her family and friends. Ingredients • 6 tablespoon oil. • 1 kg boneless beef cut into small pieces. • 5 cups of water or stock. • 2 chopped onions. • 1 tablespoon garlic chili paste . • 1 kg non sticky rice. • 200 gm tomato paste. • 6 big fresh tomatoes chopped or blended. • 1 large bell pepper cut into pieces . • 4 carrots, peeled and chopped. • 10 green beans cut into 2 inch pieces. • Salt to taste. • Spices (optional). Preparation 1. Heat the oil in a large pot. 2. Add the beef and fry until it turns brown on all sides. 3. Remove the beef to another pan. 4. Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes. 5. Add chili and garlic paste and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. 6. Add the tomato paste and blended fresh tomatoes. 7. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes. 8. Add water or stock, spices, fried beef and rice. 9. Add salt to taste. 10. Cook for 10 minutes on low heat. 11. Add vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes. 12. Keep stirring from time to time until the rice is cooked. 13. Serve with cooked vegetables, grilled chicken or fried fish, tomato or pepper sauce. AfricaRice GRiSP Theme 4 Leader Dr John Manful said "it has lot of vegetables as well as meat and rice. Although there are several other things that go with it, the Jollof rice as we make it is a complete meal in itself." Bon appétit! Video credit : Savitri Mohapatra; R.Raman, AfricaRice