Baked jollof rice

Enjoy a version of the West African staple, jollof rice. It’s a great partner to chicken, fish or salad and you can use a ready-made sauce if you prefer

Prep:15 mins
Cook:45 mins

Serves 8
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 275
fat 8g
saturates 1g
carbs 42g
sugars 0g
fibre 4g
protein 6g
salt 0.8g

Ingredients

400g basmati rice
3 red peppers, halved and deseeded
1 white onion, halved
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp grated ginger, or ginger purée
1 Scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded if you prefer less heat (optional)
5 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
100g tomato purée
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp dried thyme
2tsp curry powder (we used hot madras)
½ tsp ground white pepper
600ml hot chicken stock, made with 2 stock cubes

Method

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the rice in a sieve, rinse under cold water, drain and set aside. Put the peppers, onion, garlic, ginger and chilli, if using, in a food processor and blitz until chopped.
Heat the oil in an ovenproof casserole over a medium heat and fry the tomato purée for 2-3 mins, stirring often. Add the blitzed pepper mixture and fry for 5 mins more, then add the herbs, spices and 1 tsp salt. Fry for a further 1-2 mins, then stir in the rice to coat. Pour in the stock, stir, cover and bake for 45 mins until the rice is tender.