Spicy West African Fried Rice

Have you heard of Jollof? I hadn’t either … until last week when our HR director at work announced a new employee was starting and one of the questions they always ask a new employee is “what is your favorite food?” Usually the answer is pizza or steak or something else I’ve heard a bazillion times. But this one answered Jollof. Jollof? What is Jollof? My inquisitive mind couldn’t help itself … I immediately googled it. And decided I need to make Jollof. If you haven’t heard of Jollof, it’s a spicy African rice dish with hot peppers and tomatoes.

The next day my son requested our go-to teriyaki chicken and rice. But he only ate half the rice. If his sister had been on board, the rice would have been gone. But she doesn’t want the chicken anymore. So that left us with a half batch of basmati rice. And Jollof on my mind. I started researching recipes … my gosh there are so many versions of Jollof! Most of the recipes start before you have cooked the rice, though, not after. And since I had already cooked rice, I decided to wing it and make a “fried rice” version of Jollof. Yeah, it turned out pretty darn good, according to my internal happiness meter. I’m not going to try to insert myself into any Jollof battles, but I loved the little taste bud journey I found myself discovering from this simple rice dish.

So if you find yourself with leftover rice and you like spicy, intense flavors, try this. It is spicy hot and full of mushrooms and vegetables and spices, ginger and garlic and tomato. I topped it off with peanuts (for crunch and protein) and cilantro (to balance out the heat). I have read that Jollof often includes meat, chicken, shrimp or even fish. Feel free to add whatever protein you see fit … or just let it be and simply revel in the African spices.

Spicy West African Fried Rice

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 1 - 3 servings 1x

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Ingredients

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• 1 Tablespoon peanut or avocado oil
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled & chopped
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 cup cilantro almond salsa (recipe here)
• 1 – 2 teaspoons tomato powder (or 1 Tablespoon tomato paste)
• 1 1/2 cups leftover cooked rice
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• Fresh cilantro & chopped peanuts, for garnish

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Instructions

1. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the oil and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Add onions, garlic, carrot and ginger and saute until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the spices and cook a couple minutes longer to toast the spices.Stir in the mushrooms and bell pepper, cover and cook for several minutes, uncovering to stir several times, until the mushrooms are tender.
2. Uncover and stir in the salsa, tomato powder (or paste) and rice. Stir and fry for several minutes until everything is hot and mixed well. Stir in the frozen peas and cook just until they are hot.
3. Remove from heat, stir in some chopped fresh cilantro and serve, garnished with more cilantro and some chopped peanuts. Enjoy!
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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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