Signature Dish of the Day: Oven-Baked Jollof Rice
Signature Dish of the Day: Happy New Month! Kicking off this treasured month of love with an homage to Africa and an ode to Black History Month through a celebrated African dish that is both absolutely satisfying and packed with unmatched flavor - this incredibly delicious Oven-Baked Jollof Rice 😍. Jollof is undeniably one of those meals that one can enjoy, nay, savor again and again on a daily basis without ever getting tired of it because it is so wonderfully balanced and deeply flavorful. It is also very versatile since one can use different vegetable and meat combinations to prepare it. Simply put, it is a dish that truly has everything you could ever need in a one-pot meal! Proudly originating from West Africa, jollof is a popular one-pot rice dish with different variations across many countries in the region. Remarkably, it bears a strong resemblance to other popular rice dishes from other parts of the world, including the Spanish/Latin American paella and arroz con pollo (which we recently showcased), as well as the popular Kenyan/East African dish known as pilau. I absolutely love it when a dish turns out to be so multicultural and global in nature 😊.
There are 2 methods one can use to make one-pot rice dishes such as jollof - the stove-top method or oven method. The technique I used for this recipe is actually a hybrid of the two...I first started the cooking process on my stove top and completed it in the oven. I found this method to be the perfect solution to prevent formation of that ever-stubborn bottom coating that is often generated when using a stove-top. The coating subsequently leads to the unnecessary and wasteful loss of so much cooked rice. Using the oven additionally offered me so much freedom as I did not need to stand by to constantly watch and stir the pot as would be the case when using the stove-top method.
Similar to my arroz con pollo recipe, I first started by placing 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a large pot and allowed them to cook slowly under medium heat until all the natural water in the meat was fully re-absorbed. I then seasoned the pieces with ground black pepper, smoked paprika, salt, and cumin, and lightly sautéed them in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil within the same pot for about 5 minutes. Once they were lightly browned on each side, I took out all the pieces and set them aside in a pan. I then added about 2 tablespoons of oil into the same pot and sautéed about 2 cups of cremini mushrooms with some diced red onions, crushed garlic and ginger, and tomatoes. I seasoned this base mixture with some ground black pepper, turmeric, and smoked paprika before pouring in a blend of frozen vegetables including peas, French beans, and yellow corn. I then let this vegetable medley cook down for about 10 more minutes.
Once the mushrooms had begun to soften, I stirred in 2 cups of rinsed Basmati rice and placed the pieces of seared chicken thighs back in the pot. I then added 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and 4 cups of water into the mixture and stirred thoroughly to blend all the ingredients together. After seasoning with salt to taste, I transferred all the ingredients into a large glass casserole dish as shown above, covered it with a large sheet of aluminum foil, and baked the rice dish at 375℉ for 35 minutes until all the water was absorbed and the rice was fully cooked and fluffy. I must say I was incredibly proud of the outcome of my recipe experiment - the resulting dish was unbelievably flavorful and truly divine...my method turned out to be a resounding success! I highly recommend trying this recipe sometime...I guarantee you that it will leave your family/friends be begging for more 😁. Enjoy! 💘💞
