1
StepBlend the bell peppers, tomatoes, scotch bonnets, one onion, garlic and ginger to a smooth puree. Pour into a wide pan and boil hard for about 15 minutes, until it has reduced by a third, darkened, and no longer smells raw.
Main Dishes
Party Jollof Rice
Long-grain parboiled rice steamed in a deeply fried pepper and tomato base until every grain is stained orange and separate. The bottom layer catches slightly in the last minutes, which is exactly where the smoky party-hall flavour comes from. Served straight from the pot with fried plantain or grilled chicken.
75 min
Prep: 25 / Cook: 50
6
servings
Medium
Difficulty
4.6
8 Ratings
Chidi Okonkwo
This content is owned by the author and used with their consent.
Terms ↗July 15, 2026
Ingredients
For the pepper base
- 4 pieces red bell pepper
- 5 pieces plum tomato
- 2 pieces scotch bonnet
- 1 piece onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 20 g ginger
- 750 g long-grain parboiled rice
- 150 ml vegetable oil
- 1 piece onion
- 100 g tomato paste
- 700 ml chicken stock
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 3 pieces bay leaf
- 2 tsp bouillon powder
- 0 salt
- 0 white pepper
Preparation
8 Steps
2
StepRinse the parboiled rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear, then drain well in a sieve. Do not soak it.
3
StepHeat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Slice the second onion and fry for 3 minutes, then add the tomato paste and fry for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it turns brick red and the oil starts to separate at the edges.
4
StepAdd the reduced pepper base, curry powder, thyme, bay leaves and bouillon powder. Fry for 8 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and a film of oil rises to the surface.
5
StepPour in the stock, season with salt and white pepper and bring to a hard boil. Stir in the drained rice; the liquid should sit just level with the rice, no more. Taste the liquid now, it should be slightly too salty.
6
StepCover the pot tightly with foil, then the lid, drop the heat to the lowest setting and steam for 25 minutes without lifting the lid or stirring.
7
StepCheck a grain; if still firm, sprinkle over 50 ml hot water, re-seal and give it 5 more minutes. Then raise the heat for 3 minutes to catch the bottom layer, listening for a faint crackle and smelling for toast, not burning.
8
StepTake off the heat and leave sealed for 10 minutes, then fold the smoky bottom layer up through the rest with a wooden spoon and remove the bay leaves.
Chef's Tip
Reduce the blended pepper base hard before it ever meets the oil, otherwise the rice turns watery and sour. Do not stir once the rice is covered; fold from the bottom only after it has rested off the heat.
Comments (4)
reducing the pepper base first made a bigger difference than i expected
my rice went mushy at the 25 minute mark. too much stock or wrong rice?
almost certainly the rice. it has to be parboiled, not basmati or regular long grain.
that was it. second attempt was perfect, thank you.
made this for eleven people and doubled it fine, just needed a wider pot
the crackle at the bottom is the whole point, my family fights over that layer