About this Dish
Smoky tomato rice cooked with vegetables and your choice of meat or fish.
History & Origin
Cameroon's take on the pan-West African rice dish leans smokier and spicier, often cooked over an open fire for extra char.
IngredientsServes 2
🍅Ripe tomatoes, 4 large, blended
🌶️Scotch bonnet peppers, 2, blended
🧅Large onions, 2, one blended and one sliced
🍗Chicken thighs, 600g, bone-in
🍚Long grain parboiled rice, 2 cups, rinsed
🫑Mixed bell peppers, 2, sliced
🧄Garlic cloves, 4, minced
🛢️Palm oil or vegetable oil, 4 tablespoons
🧂Maggi seasoning cubes, 2, plus salt to taste
🌿Fresh thyme and bay leaves, a few sprigs and 2 leaves
Method
1
Season the chicken thighs with salt, one crumbled Maggi cube, minced garlic, and thyme, then brown them in hot oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until golden on both sides. Remove the chicken and set aside, leaving the flavoured oil in the pot.2
Add the sliced onions to the same pot and fry until softened, then pour in the blended tomatoes, scotch bonnet, and onion mixture. Let this tomato base cook down on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until the raw smell is gone and the oil begins to float on top — this step builds the deep smoky flavour.3
Add the remaining Maggi cube, bay leaves, and a good pinch of salt to the tomato base and stir well. Nestle the browned chicken pieces back into the pot and pour in just enough water to almost cover the chicken, about 1.5 cups.4
Cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside to grill or oven-roast at 200°C for 10 minutes for extra colour and smokiness.5
Add the rinsed rice directly into the rich tomato sauce remaining in the pot and stir to coat every grain. If the sauce looks too thick, add a small splash of warm water so the rice has just enough liquid to cook — the rice should be sitting in sauce, not swimming in water.6
Cover the pot tightly with foil and then the lid to trap all the steam, and cook on very low heat for 25 to 30 minutes without lifting the lid. The rice will absorb all the flavours and a slight crust will form at the bottom, which is the prized smoky bottom called "party jollof" in local homes.7
Stir through the sliced bell peppers in the last 5 minutes of cooking, then serve the jollof rice topped with the grilled chicken alongside fried plantain or a simple salad.User Reviews
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