Nigerian Jollof rice is a popular West African dish that is known for its flavorful blend of rice, tomatoes, onions, and spices.

Here’s a recipe for cooking Nigerian Jollof rice:

Ingredients:

3 cups of rice

2 cans of tomato paste

1 red onion

1 green bell pepper

2 red bell peppers

2 habanero peppers (optional)

2 cups of chicken stock

1 tablespoon of curry powder

1 tablespoon of thyme

1 tablespoon of ginger powder

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Instructions:

1. Rinse the rice and set it aside.

2. Blend the red onion, red and green bell peppers, and habanero peppers (if using) in a blender until smooth.

3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the blended pepper mixture and fry for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Add the tomato paste, curry powder, thyme, ginger powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, bay leaves, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir well and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.

5. Add the chicken stock to the pot and stir. Allow the mixture to come to a boil.

6. Add the rice to the pot and stir well. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed.

7. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve hot.

Nigerian Jollof rice is often served with chicken, beef, or fish, and can also be accompanied by fried plantains, or salad. Enjoy!

Scotch bonnets are a type of very hot chili peppers common in west Africa and the caribbean. They have a heat rating of between 100000 – 400000 scoville units.

Scotch bonnets also have their completely sweet varieties too known as cachucha peppers. In Yoruba land in west Africa, Scotch bonnet is known as atarodo. 

Fresh ripe scotch bonnets came in red, green, yellow, orange peach and even chocolate brown varieties.

Uses of Scotch bonnets

Scotch bonnets is a major ingredient used in the preparation of condiments for flavouring food.

They  are used to spice many dishes worldwide.Used to cook hot sauces and pepper stews. Also used in the flavouring of roasted and fried meat.

Also read; Red Bell Peppers (Tatashe)

Read more on scotch bonnets

Bell pepper is a common type of pepper that is actually not pepperish. In fact it is known as sweet pepper due to its lack of hot chili characteristics noted for other types of pepper species.

Bell peppers come in various types of colours. The most commonly encountered colours of bell peppers are red, green, yellow and orange. Other colours are white, pink,brown and lavender.

Other names of bell pepper are sweet pepper, paprika, green pepper ( name based on its colour). In southwestern Nigeria, it is called tatashe.

Bell peppers are classified as berries but also considered as a vegetable.

Uses of Bell Pepper

Bell pepper is an edible vegetable used to prepare a variety of dishes. It can be eaten raw or cooked. It is used in the preparation of salads, pizza, stew , jollof/fried rice, roasted meat spicing and much more. 

Health Benefits of Bell Peppers

Bell peppers contain 94% water, 5% carbohydrates and 1% protein. They are a rich source of vitamin C and to a lesser extent, vitamin A.

For more on bell peppers click this link

Tomato is an edible Berry plant. History has it that it originated from Mexico and neighbouring areas. Tomatoes can be eaten raw or cooked. It is used to prepare many dishes including stew, salad, juice and much more.

Origin and cultivation of tomatoes

Tomatoes are said to have originated from Mexico, and some parts of Central and South America. These days,  tomatoes are cultivated in many countries all over the world. There are many species of tomatoes. Tomatoes can grow from a height of about 0.3 m to 3 m in height. They are easy to plant and require a considerable amount of water to properly cultivate.

Health benefits of tomatoes

Tomatoes are classified as berries, but they are also regarded as vegetables.

Tomato can be eaten raw or cooked. It contains 95% of water, little carbohydrates and vitamin C. It is not clear what are the benefits tomatoes have but they are berries that contain less sugar and carbohydrates. It can be  safely consumed with other vegetables if you are a diabetic patient or someone who is looking to slim or reduce body weight.

Storage of tomatoes

Tomatoes are best stored or washed at room temperature. You can also store tomatoes in the refrigerator but they will lose  their freshness and flavour. Even if you store tomatoes on washed at room temperature try to consume as soon as possible as tomatoes easily get spoilt.