How to Prepare Leafy Jollof Rice (9 Easy Steps)

Leafy jollof rice is delicious and easy to make. My mum loves using leaves in her foods, so we got used to it too, I find myself wanting to put leave in everything I cook. Vegetables are very healthy and good for the body. The vegetables also help to spice your food.

 Fruits and vegetables are a great source of vitamins and mineral they have Lots and lots of fibre, low-calorie and low-fat, protect against cancer and other diseases, fruits and vegetables help you maintain good health and Low in sodium and cholesterol.

So, when you see people eating vegetables know that they are benefiting a lot from it.  To prepare this food, there are some steps you need to follow and they are listed below, the ingredients to are easy to get and very affordable.

Ingredients for cooking leafy jollof

For the Leafy Jollof Rice these are the ingredients for cooking this delicious rice.

• 350g (0.8 lbs) long grain parboiled rice
• 300 mls Tomato stew
• 1kg (2.2 lbs) goat meat
• 2 handfuls spinach
• 1 medium onion
• 2 small stock cubes
• Habanero pepper (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons crayfish.

Notes about the ingredients before cooking

It is important you note this before cooking this rice

1. Other vegetables you can use: Ugu (Nigerian Pumpkin leaves), scent leaves or Green Amaranth.
2. Other meats you can use: chicken, lamb, beef. When using chicken, skip crayfish and add thyme when seasoning the chicken.
3. Habanero pepper is atarodo, atarugu or ose oyibo.

Before you cook the Leafy Jollof Rice

1. Prepare the tomato stew. It is advisable to prepare tomato stew beforehand and keep in the freezer. This is so that whenever you want to cook any jollof rice related dish, it is just a matter of adding it to your cooking.
2. Parboil the rice using the method detailed in parboiling rice for cooking jollof rice, Rinse the parboiled rice with cool water and put in a sieve to drain.
3. Pound the habanero pepper.
4. Grind the crayfish.
5. Wash and cut the leafy vegetables.
6. Dice the onion.

How to cook leafy Jollof

These are the steps you need to follow to be able to cook this leafy jollof rice.

1. Cook the goat meat with the stock cubes and half of the diced onions.
2. When done, separate the goat meat from the goat meat stock and grill the meat in the oven. You can also deep-fry them.
3. Pour the goat meat stock into a sizeable pot.
4. Add the crayfish, some tomato stew, and some salt. Stir, cover, and start cooking on medium heat.
5. When it boils, add the drained parboiled rice and stir. The water level should be at the same level as the rice. This is to ensure that by the time all the water dries up, the rice will be done and there will be no need to add more water. You will need to parboil the rice correctly for this to happen.
6. Cover the pot and leave to cook on low to medium heat. This way the rice does not burn before the water dries up.
7. When you can no longer see the water (but the water is not yet dry), add the remaining onions and tomato stew. Cover and continue cooking till all the water dry up.
8. If you parboiled the rice correctly, the rice should be done by the time the water is dry. Taste to confirm. If not, you will need to add more water and reduce the heat to prevent burning. Keep cooking till done.
9. When dry, add the leafy vegetables, stir very well without squashing the rice and take it off the stove immediately. Enjoy this delicious meal with a chilled drink.