Chef Essie takes viewers on a journey to the motherland, as we get an authentic taste of Ghana when she prepares the cultural staple jollof rice with a fried kelewele.
Ingredients
- 3 cups of Jasmine Rice or Basmati Rice
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons sliced shallots
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper - blended
- 2 pounds chicken - organic fowl/chicken (substitute lamb or goat)
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 3 tablespoons EssieSpice Coco-For-Garlic Sauce
- 3 tablespoons EssieSpice Mango Chili Medley Sauce
- 1/3 cup tomato puree
- 3 cups fresh blended tomatoes/tomato sauce
Instructions
- In a deep large pot, turn the heat on medium and add the coconut oil. Allow oil to get moderately hot then add onions, shallots, ginger, scotch bonnet pepper & garlic.
- Allow the mixture to come together evenly and stir continuously for about a minute. Then add the chicken. Add the salt and EssieSpice sauces then continue stirring so the combo coats the meat entirely and continues to sear and cook.
- Let the meat simmer with the spice mixture for another 5 minutes stirring frequently. You can add 1/3 cup of water and allow meat to further cook for another 5 minutes on medium to low heat.
- Remove the chicken and place on a tray on the grill or lightly fry in a separate pan and set aside.
- Now add the tomato puree and blended tomato. We need to let this cook for about 12-15 minutes. We don't want the tomatoes to be raw when we taste it on the rice, we therefore have to cook it until all the sweetness emerges. This will take about 15-20 minutes.
- At this point you can add the rice and stir everything together. Depending on how much sauce you have now, you may need a bit more water.
- Reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot completely to allow the steam to cook the rice.
- Check on the dish around the 10 minute mark. If the rice is still pretty firm, sprinkle about 1/4 cup of water all over the rice and cover once again. Allow to cook for a final 20 minutes on low heat and your EssieSpice jollof rice should be ready to serve with the chicken.