INGREDIENTS:
- Rice
- Fresh Tomatoes
- Red bell pepper
- Onion (medium to large)
- Bay leaves
- Curry powder
- Thyme
- Fresh pepper
- Seasoning/stock cubes
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Crayfish
- Chicken
- Plantain
INSTRUCTIONS:
AFRICAN FRIED CHICKEN:
Wash chicken thoroughly and place in a pot. If using a whole chicken, cut into little pieces before placing in the pot. Add water to just about the level of the chicken.
Add half Salt, seasoning cubes, thyme, garlic and powder.
Mix to ensure seasoning coats all of the chicken. Cover and let it cook on medium high heat for about 20 minutes.
Drain chicken from the stock. Keep the stock for later.
Place oil in a frying pan up to 2 inches and let it heat up.
Place the chicken in the oil and fry until golden brown flipping halfway through. About 2 minutes on each side. (Alternately, place the chicken on a baking pan and broil in the oven for about 20 minutes. Grilling is good too and healthier!)
NIGERIAN JOLLOF RICE:
Roughly chop then blend together the fresh tomatoes, onion and bell pepper (remove seeds from bell pepper before blending).
Place in a pot and bring to a boil. Let them cook on high heat until the water in the tomato blend dries out. Add in the tomato sauce and stir then add in the oil.
Fry the tomatoes in the oil until they visibly shrink. About 10 minutes.
To the tomatoes, add the curry, pepper, crayfish, and thyme then stir.
Then add the chicken stock you reserved plus more water if needed.
Add the bay leaves, salt and seasoning cubes.
Stir well then wash the rice and add to the pot. (You can per-boil the rice before adding)
Stir well then carefully wrap the top of the pot with aluminum foil before covering with the lid of the pot. Let it cook on medium heat for about 30-40 minutes on a low-medium heat until the rice absorbs all the liquid and is soft.
When the rice is done, you might still see concentrates of tomato sauce over the rice. This is very normal. Gently stir rice with a wooden spoon to combine.
Serve warm with the fried/grilled chicken and plantain on the side.
Tessie Cookbook 