You know how everybody loves and raves about Jollof Rice? I love and rave about palm oil Jollof, maybe because i'm a local champion or maybe because it is just superior... *runs and hides*
*comes out of hiding* It really is though. Palm oil has a way of elevating a meal, the scent leaf (nchanwu) brings a minty spiciness, and then you have dried prawns (oporo), dried fish and chopped goat meat... *drool*
Really, i do not know how to eat this rice responsibly. I keep going back to the pot until it is all gone... It. Is. That. Delicious!
You will need;
1lb Boneless Goat Meat
2 Cups of Cleaned, Dried Fish (Preferably Bonga Fish)
250grms Long Grain Rice
1 Cup Palm Oil
1/4 Cup Ground Crayfish
3 Tablespoons Chopped Scent Leaf (Nchanwua)
1 Onion
1 Tablespoon Curry
1 Teaspoon Thyme
3 Cloves Garlic (Crushed)
1 Small Red Bell Pepper
1 Cup of Dried Prawns (Oporo)
4 Seasoning Cubes
Salt & Cameroon Pepper
Season goat meat with salt, pepper, curry, thyme, garlic and 2 seasoning cubes. Add enough water to almost get to the level of the meat. Cook for 20 minutes if your goat meat is skinless, if you have skin on it, allow of an additional 10 - 15 minutes cooking time.
Always remember that a good stock will make a great meal!
Take the meat out of the meat stock and set both aside.
Rough chop onion and divide into 3 parts.
Pour palm oil and heat up until it just begins to smoke, this will cook off that tart raw palm oil taste. Add a third of the onions and cook until soft, stirring often. This should take about 5 minutes.
Take the heads and tails off your oporo, deseed and wash your bell pepper, and blend with a third of your onion and crayfish.
Add to the oil and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
Next, add half of your dried fish.
Wash rice and let it join the party...
Mix properly...
Pour in meat stock, add salt, pepper and 2 seasoning cubes (if needed), cover the pot and allow to cook.
For best result cover the pot with foil or a plastic bag before covering the pot with the lid. This will trap in all the steam and cook the rice properly without the grains sticking together.
Allow to cook on low to medium heat undisturbed for 20 minutes.
When your rice is cooked, but still moist, chop up goat meat, add remaining onions, oporo, remaining dried fish and chopped scent leaf (nchanwu).
If you like your oporo softer, you can cook it with your rice or blanch it in hot water for about 3 minutes before adding it in.
Mix...
Serve up...
You'll get no judgement from me if you decide to eat straight out of the pot, i might have done that once...or 20 times.
:)
