Jollof-inspired Rice Dish with Plantain
Perfect as a main meal in its own right or as part of a feast, this rice dish takes inspiration from the flavours of West African jollof rice and is served with plantain.
Introduction
This spicy West African-inspired rice dish is a great one-pan dinner, served here with golden, slightly sweet plantain.
Ingredients
| 400ml (14fl oz) | tomato passata |
| 3 tbsp | tomato purée |
| 2 | fresh red Scotch bonnet chillies, de-seeded |
| 2 | onions, chopped |
| 2 | red peppers, de-seeded and roughly chopped |
| 8 | garlic cloves, peeled |
| 3 tbsp | fresh rosemary leaves |
| 1 tbsp | fresh thyme leaves |
| 2 tsp | ground coriander |
| 1 tsp | sweet smoked paprika |
| 50ml (2fl oz) | olive oil |
| 150g (5oz) | cherry tomatoes, halved |
| 800ml (28 fl oz) | chicken stock |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 500g (1lb 2oz) | long grain rice, rinsed until water runs clear |
| 2 tbsp | sunflower oil |
| 2 | ripe plantains, peeled and thickly sliced |
| small handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped | |
| sea salt and black pepper | |
| green salad, to serve |
Essential kit
You will need: a blender or food processor.
Method
1. Put the tomato passata, tomato purée, Scotch bonnets, onions, red peppers, garlic, rosemary, thyme, ground coriander and smoked paprika into a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan (with a lid) over a medium heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and the blitzed sauce, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the stock, bay leaves, rice, one and a half teaspoons of salt and a large pinch of black pepper and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10–12 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the rice from sticking and burning, until the rice is cooked through. Turn off the heat, cover with the lid and leave to steam for 15 minutes without removing the lid.
4. Meanwhile, heat the sunflower oil in a pan over a medium heat. Fry the plantain for a few minutes on each side until golden and soft.
5. Serve the rice with the plantain and coriander scattered over and a green salad on the side. Tip If you are vegetarian, replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
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