Mali – Jollof Rice

by Verdzekov Bernard

Rice is a very common meal. Common and delicious. The meal is simple also. Very simple and affordable. In my country Cameroon, when an orphanage is to be visited, rice is carried along. It however affordable, durable and can feed many. When you visit a refugee zone, the food eating there mostly is rice too. This rice can be cooked in so many ways. Many different ways. Rice is a common dish like I said and when prepared, it comes out in large quantity. You could boil two cups and four people consume it to full satisfaction. For a cardo in this article, I will tell you how rice is cultivated. The rice you eat every day or sometimes, takes four to five months to fully mature. Rice is cultivated in a marshy area or an area with constant supply of water. Rice consumes at list 4000 to 6000 litters of water. And don’t forget it is a tropical crop. Rice is common, and people have different ways of preparing. To prepare rice from Mali:

Ingredients

• Half or full Chicken
• Onions
• Salt taste 
• Maggi 
• Pepper
• Garlics
• Ginger 
• Vegetable oil
• Bay leaves
• 5 cups of parboiled rice
• Carrot and green beans
• 2 packs of curry powder

Process

• Slice your ginger and cut into small half. 
• Slice and chop onions
• Peel garlics and cut too. keep aside. Slice pepper and keep aside. Put all in a blender and blend. Blend with ¼ cup of water.
• Slice chicken, clean and put in a pot. Turn blended ingredients in the pot and allow to cook, add water and close pot. Allow chicken to cook. This should take approximately 30-35min for chicken to get ready well.
• Using another pot, this time the main cooking pot, turn in your vegetable oil, turn on heat and allow oil to heat up. Turn in your sliced but not blended onions into the pot. Allow it to fry. When it is golden brawn lower heat, add canned tomatoes and stir well. Turn in your sliced tomatoes into the pot.
• Stir well. Allow to fry for about 3min
• Add in sliced bay leaves.
• Wash your rice and drain well. 
• Add in curry powder for scent to the mixture and stir well.
• Add in your washed rice and stir well. Allow for about 10min continuously stirring. 
• Add salt to taste.
• Add your maggi and stir well. 
• Slice and boil green beans and carrot with salt to taste. Keep aside.
• Add your chicken stock. Close pot. 
• Take boiled chicken and fry. Fry with some salt to taste. 
• Keep chicken aside and check your rice. If needing water, add some and cover pot. Cooking should take at list 25min. 
• Open pot after 20min and add your green beans and carrot. 
• Remove and serve rice with chicken.

Enjoy…