Jollof-Inspired Chicken Rice Bowl

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers (diced)
• 2 tomatoes (small, diced)
• 2 onions (big, diced, for the spice paste)
• 1 garlic (whole head, peeled, for the spice paste)
• 7 dried red chillies (soaked; source gives 6–7)
• 0.5 tsp salt (for the spice paste)
• 1 tsp lemon juice (for the spice paste)
• 2 tsp sugar (for the spice paste)
• 1 tsp ground coriander (for the spice paste)
• 0.5 tsp ground cumin (for the spice paste)
• 0.5 tsp ground turmeric (for the spice paste)
• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper (for the spice paste)
• water (as required to make the spice paste)
• 700 g chicken
• 0.5 prepared spice paste (half of the prepared batch)
• 1 tsp chilli flakes (Keya brand, for the chicken)
• 1 tsp dried oregano (Keya brand, for the chicken)
• peri peri seasoning (half a pack, Keya brand, for the chicken; pack size not stated)
• salt (as needed, for the chicken)
• 2 cup basmati rice (soaked for 30 minutes and drained)
• vegetable oil (for cooking)
• 1 onion (big, finely chopped, for the rice)
• 5 garlic cloves (chopped; source gives 4–5 cloves)
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cup hot water
• 1.5 tbsp chicken broth powder (as required)
• 0.5 tsp lime juice
• salt (to taste, for the rice)
• sugar (to taste, for the rice)
• 2 tsp chilli flakes (for the rice)
• coriander leaves (chopped)
• peri peri seasoning (Keya brand, to finish; amount not stated)
• ghee (for final smokiness; amount not stated)
• charcoal (for final smokiness; amount not stated)
• fresh coriander (for serving)

Steps

1. 1

   Soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes, then drain it.

2. 2

   Prepare the spice paste by blending the diced red bell peppers, diced small tomatoes, diced large onions, peeled garlic, soaked dried red chillies, salt, lemon juice, sugar, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, and enough water to make a paste.

3. 3

   Season the chicken with half of the prepared spice paste, the chilli flakes, oregano, half a pack of peri peri seasoning, and salt as needed.

4. 4

   Cook the seasoned chicken until sticky and charred. The source does not state the cooking method, temperature, or duration.

5. 5

   Heat vegetable oil in a cooking pot. Add the finely chopped onion and cook until softened; the source does not specify a duration or sensory cue.

6. 6

   Add the chopped garlic and cook with the onion.

7. 7

   Add the tomato puree and the remaining spice paste to the pot.

8. 8

   Add the drained basmati rice, bay leaf, hot water, chicken broth powder, lime juice, salt, sugar, and 2 teaspoons of chilli flakes. Cook until the rice is cooked and has absorbed the flavors. The source does not specify a rice-cooking time or heat level.

9. 9

   Once the rice is cooked, sprinkle the additional peri peri seasoning over it and mix well.

10. 10

    Place the cooked chicken back with the rice and cook covered on dum for another 5–10 minutes.

11. 11

    Use ghee and charcoal for final smokiness toward the end of cooking. The source mentions this finishing method but does not specify the exact procedure or duration.

12. 12

    Serve the chicken and rice with fresh coriander and chopped coriander leaves.

Notes

The description says the full process is in a comment, but no process comment is supplied. The available description and transcript do not explain the precise cooking method for charring the chicken, the rice-cooking heat/time, or how to apply the charcoal-and-ghee smoke; these details are not specified here. The OCR transcript also contains safety text for an inverted vessel, but it is too garbled to safely infer its use.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• West African-inspired
• spicy
• chicken
• rice
• one-pot
• smoky
• gluten-free