Food challenge contest week #44|| My Jollof Rice Recipe by ahbaz

Hot plates containing jollof rice

Nigeria is a country with 36 states and one of the things these states share in common is food. One of the most popular food that can be found and eaten anywhere in Nigeria is rice. Not only is it a staple food in Nigeria but also a common food consumed by over 50% of the world's population. Rice, also known by its botanical name Oryza sativa, is an edible starchy cereal grain that can be cooked and eaten in many ways.

The consumption of rice can never be boring as there are a thousand and one ways to prepare this beautiful, slim white food substance. In the list of the classes of food, it falls under carbohydrates which is necessary for bodybuilding. Carbohydrates give the body enough energy and make one satisfied. It is also important for fueling exercise. An example is a type of rice known as brown rice. This rice is an excellent source of many nutrients, including fibre, manganese, selenium, magnesium, and B vitamins.
There is so much to know about rice, from the varieties — long grain and short — to which is most preferred by certain people and why. There are numerous other things and just a lot to know.

_{A bowl of washed raw rice}

Did you know that there are more than 40,000 varieties of rice? Today I will be sharing a jollof rice recipe. Remember, this is just one of the numerous ways of consuming rice. To prove how amazing rice is, this can be seen in the numerous recipe available just to cook jollof rice and more coming out both internationally and individual preference.

You can confess that you have a special different thing or way you cook jollof rice even if it is with the same recipe there is always something different and used by only you or those around you.

Ingredients
*3 tomatoes 200
*5 bulbs of small onions or 3 big bulbs
*Salt
*Crayfish
*Maggi
*Pepper
*Ginger
*Garlic
*Oil, groundnut or palm oil
*Water
*Rice
*Any vegetable leaf
*Meat

_{Blender containing my chopped tomato and onion ready for blending}

Direction
Prepare and wash your tomatoes, onions, vegetable leaf, pepper, ginger and garlic.
Chop your pepper, tomato and onion into medium bits so the blending process will be faster.
Dice a bulb of onion
Chop the washed vegetables
Blend your chopped tomato, onion and pepper with the use of a blender. Add a little quantity of water before blending.

The Cooking Process
After lighting the gas or any heating equipment you are using set your pot on the gas top, let it dry then pour a medium quantity of oil into the pot. I used palm oil.
When the oil becomes hot enough (you can taste its hotness by putting a chopped onion, if it sizzles then it is hot). Pour in your chopped onions and stir.
After few minutes of frying, pour in your blended paste, ground ginger and garlic and stir to avoid burning. Close the pot and let it cook for a few minutes to reduce the quantity of water.
After a few minutes of cooking depending on the quantity of water put while blending, open the pot and stir, and put your spices (salt, crayfish, Maggi).
Add water to the pot enough to soften the rice. When the water boils pour in your well-washed rice. It can be parboiled or not depending on your preference.
Watch the food closely and reduce the fire as it gets closer to getting done.
You got your perfect party Jollof rice.

HACK: Do not stir while the rice is being cooked, it makes the rice lumpy.

_{A selfie of me and my hot plate filled with the delicious jollof rice}

As stated above, cooking is an art, learn the basics and create your result. Your results shouldn't be like everyone else's, there is always a difference, that originality and special difference. Everyone has a secret for every food and this secret may be an additional ingredient or anything. In all, we present the results of what we have been working on on the table of people sitting on chairs waiting to feed their stomachs.

PS: I add my already steamed meat when the rice is almost done.

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