By Chioma Nnagbo
It’s a week of love, how do you plan to celebrate valentine with your loved ones?
Daddy are you taking the family out for dinner?
Mummy, what special dish are you preparing for the family?
Hello husbands, what surprise do you have for your wife?
So, I have something special for you all my lovers, I will teach you how to prepare my favorite rice in the whole wide world (Jollof rice), with my secret ingredient (celery).
I promise you husbands, if you take up this challenge to prepare this dish for your wife, she will not only love you more, but will also award you the “best chef” of the season of love.
Let me introduce you to the ingredient:
RECIPE
3 cups of per boiled rice
4 large tomatoes
6 large chili bell pepper (Tatashe)
3 fresh pepper
4 medium size onion
3 Garlic cloves
1 Ginger root
½ cup of chopped celery
2 table spoon of tomato paste
½ table spoon curry
½ table spoon thyme
Nut meg
1 teaspoon of blended crayfish
3 seasoning cubes
3 cup of chicken stock
1 teaspoon ground pepper
Salt to taste
½ cup groundnut oil
1 teaspoon of butter
PROCEDURE
Blend the tomatoes, pepper and one onion together, and set aside. Then, blend the garlic, ginger and two onions together, and set aside. So now LET THE COOKING BEGIN
On a low heat, set the pot with groundnut oil on fire. When heated, pour in your blended onions, garlic and ginger mix, stir for a while, now, add in the star of the dish, “chopped celery” (this gives your food a wonderful taste you won’t forget in a century). stir for about 3-5mins. Add in the tomato paste, stir and allow to fry some minute. At the point, your jollof rice is 70% ready.
Now, it’s time to add in a very important ingredient for this dish which is the blended tomatoes, pepper and Onion mix, allow to cook until the water in the tomatoes mix dry up.
Add in your chicken stock, (if you don’t have chicken stock, you can use water) this is the only liquid you will use for this food. Now add in all your condiments into the mixture, stir and allow to boil for a while.
Ok now its time to add another star of the dish which is, the parboiled rice. (what is jollof rice without rice?) give it a little stir to combined. With a foil paper, cover the pot before using the lid (this is because it is the heat that cooks the food not the fire) allow to cook for 10-13 mins.
I promise you, if you cook your jollof rice this way, it will come out nice. Don’t worry about the time at all, its going to be all worth it in the end.
Remember to show love to one another this week for its a week of Love
Enjoy your meal.