Supplies
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 green finger chilli, stemmed and finely chopped (or 2 milder jalapeños)
- 5 multi-coloured cherry tomatoes (about 80g), cut into wedges, or 1 medium tomato, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 30g baby spinach leaves, chopped
- 2 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
- 4 large free-range eggs
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 chapati (see My East African Chapati on page 196) or flatbreads
- Smoky Tomato & Date Jam (see page 257), to taste
- 4 rashers dry-cured streaky smoked bacon, fried until crisp, then torn (optional)
- 40g fresh coriander or baby spinach leaves
- ¾ small red cabbage, shredded
- 1-2 carrots, scrubbed and julienned
Steps
- Place a 24cm non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for 30 seconds, untjl fragrant. Add the
- tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes, tossing now and again. Stir in the spinach and leave to wilt for 1 minute, then take the pan off the heat. Tip everything into a
- bowl, add the spring onions, season with just a little pinch of fine sea salt and toss well.
- Crack two of the eggs into a mug or bowl and whisk lightly. Add half the turmeric, a pinch of fine sea salt and half the spinach, chilli and tomato mix. Stir to combine.
- Wipe the pan clean and place over a medium-high heat. Drizzle in 2 teaspoons of oil and brush or swirl to coat the base and up the sides a bit. Give the eggs one
- more mix then pour into the pan, quickly and briefly swirling around as it sizzles, to make sure the entire surface is covered: Leave undisturbed for 10 seconds,
- then swirl the pan once more so any excess runny liquid fills the gaps. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 30 seconds, until it is mostly cooked with a little raw egg on top. Loosen the sides and bottom with a spatula, then place a chapati on top of the egg and press down for 10 seconds to 'glue' them together. Continue to cook for about 1 minute, or until the eggs are beautifully golden, then flip and cook the chapati for 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat to make the second roll.
- To assemble each roll, spread ½ tablespoon or more of Smoky Tomato & Date Jam on the egg side of the roll, top with half the bacon, if using, then half the coriander leaves or baby spinach, shredded cabbage and carrots. Roll up tightly and wrap in baking parchment pretending to be a Ugandan newspaper. Twist the ends and leave the wrap to rest and seal for a few minutes before cutting in half and devouring.
Supplies
- 300g long-grain or basmati rice, thoroughly rinsed
- 250-400 ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 6 medium vine-ripened tomatoes or1x 400g can plum tomatoes
- 2-3 red Romano or bell peppers, stemmed, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 large brown onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1-2 red or yellow scotch bonnet peppers, stemmed and roughly chopped, or pierced and left whole
- 5cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 90ml coconut, rapeseed or vegetable oil
- 1 small red onion, peeled and finely sliced
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 4-6 sprigs of thyme, some thyme leaves picked and kept for garnish
Steps
- Place all the purée ingredients in a food processor, except the scotch bonnets, if using whole, and blend to a thick and aromatic puree.
- Place the oil in a wide large saucepan, for which you have a tightly fitting lid, and set over a medium heat. Add the red onion and a pinch of fine sea salt. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until softened and golden. If it starts to get dry, add a little splash of water to prevent the onion from burning.
- Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the purée starts to separate. Add the spices and herbs and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Gently pour in the blended purée, stirring well, cover and cook for up 20-25 minutes, until the purée is reduced to a drier sauce. Keep a close eye on it and stir.
- Add the rice and stock (about 250 ml for basmati rice and up to 400ml for long-grain rice), ensuring there is enough water to just submerge the rice. Season with
- 2 teaspoons of fine sea salt and stir just once. Add the scotch bonnet, if using whole. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer over a medium-
- low heat for up to 30 minutes. The sauce must be visibly simmering to ensure the rice cooks properly. Jollof rice is at its best cooked low and slow for
- perfectly plumped grains. Check at 15-minute intervals as the rice may start to catch at the bottom. If the sauce dries out and the rice is still not cooked, add a little more water or stock around the edges, gently pushing the grains from the sides to the centre without stirring. A burnt bottom is perfectly acceptable and encouraged as it infuses a wonderful smoky flavour into the grains.
- Once the rice is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and leave covered to steam for a few minutes. Fluff with a fork, scatter over the reserved thyme leaves and enjoy your wonderful creation with a fresh salad like Kachumbari with Hibiscus Pickled Onion (see page 160) and Fried or Spiced Roasted Plantains (see pages 278 and 280), because jollof and plantains are a match made in heaven.