The chef said it’s all about the rice. Serigne Mbaye About the growth of Senegal. Everyone ate it every day. And in Senegal and all of West Africa, brick-colored jollof rice, named after the Jollof people, is a staple food. Mbaye currently lives in New Orleans, where he runs Dakar NOLA, a modern Senegalese restaurant. When he moved to the South, he discovered dishes that reminded him of Jollof, such as Hopping John, Jambalaya, and Lowcountry Red Rice.But in recent years, he I noticed that African cuisine was making inroads into the South. I saw more menus using Jollof.
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jollof rice
Mbaye adapted the jollof recipe, a mainstay of the prix-fixe menu at his famous Dakar NOLA restaurant, to suit his new home in the South. If he had gone back to Senegal, or if he had been cooking for Africans, the food would have been spicier and funkier.
material
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion (cut into small cubes)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 3 medium tomatoes (cut into small cubes)
- 1 green bell pepper (cut into medium cubes)
- 1 medium habanero pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups long grain rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
Instructions
Add oil to a large pot or Dutch oven. The oil will be hot, but not hot enough to burn. Add the chopped onions and fry until golden brown, then add the tomato paste and stir until the paste is evenly mixed in the oil. Add vinegar to deglaze the bottom of the pan and reduce the mixture by 1/3. Add the tomatoes, green pepper, habanero pepper, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf. Sprinkle with salt and simmer over medium heat until the peppers and tomatoes are soft, about 15-20 minutes.
While the peppers are softening, wash the rice three times to remove excess dirt and starch. Add 1 1/2 cups water to the pot and reduce sauce for 3-4 minutes. Taste the sauce for flavor before adding the rice. Adjust seasonings to suit your taste. If you want more acidity, add vinegar or lime juice. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add enough rice to the pot to cover the liquid. Half-cover the pot and let the rice absorb most of the liquid. Close the pot slowly and increase the heat for about 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat completely and set the pot, covered, aside for 15 minutes. This allows the rice to be cooked using the internal steam. After 15 minutes, let the rice fluff up and enjoy.