Vegetarian Native Jollof

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup red palm oil
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 tsp iru/dawa dawa powder (or 1 tbsp dry dawa dawa — you might have to soak it first to rehydrate it)
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper (or habanero works too)
• 1 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1 tomato
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cameroon pepper (can also use cayenne pepper)
• 2 tsp nori mix (please see my shito recipe to learn how I make this mix)
• 1 cup of dried mushrooms soaked in water (any dried mushroom works )
• 1 vegetable bouillon (I used the Go Bio Organic Mushroom Bouillon Cube )
• 1 can of young jackfruit
• 2 tsp dry scent leaf (can sub with 1.5 tsp of oregano or use 1/4 cup of fresh scent leaf)
• 1 pack of sunrise soya smoked tofu (can use any tofu of choice)
• 2 cups of long grain rice washed
• 2.5 cups of water or vegetable broth

Instructions

1. 1

   Start by heating the red palm oil in a pot at medium heat. It behaves like coconut oil so when it is cold it is solid and when it is warm it is liquid

2. 2

   Once the oil is melted, add in your chopped onions and sauté till it is soft (about 5 minutes)

3. 3

   Next, add in your fermented locust beans and cook in the onion mixture for a few minutes (2-3minutes)

4. 4

   Mix in your blended red bell pepper, habanero/scotch bonnet, tomato mixture and let it cook for 10 minutes

5. 5

   Add in your dried spices (garlic powder, onion powder, cameroon pepper, nori mushroom mix, and bouillon cube) and mix well

6. 6

   Since I am using dried mushrooms, I added them into the stew too so it can continue to rehydrate and take on the stew flavour.

7. 7

   I let the stew simmer for 10 -15 mins to cook through and reduce, stirring periodically. The stew is ready when the oil starts to separate to the top.

8. 8

   While it was simmering, I made sure to wash my jackfruit very well to get the brine taste out.

9. 9

   Once the 10-15 mins is up, I added in my jackfruit and then crumbled my scent leaf into the pot. I also made sure to check for salt and seasoning so that the stew is well-seasoned.

10. 10

    Right after, I mixed in my smoked tofu and then added my rice.

11. 11

    I mixed everything well and poured in my water/stock. Give the mixture a final taste to ensure that you can taste the seasoning; cover the pot and let it come to a boil.

12. 12

    Once it has boiled, reduce the heat to low and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Then give it a good stir.

13. 13

    At this point, there is no more visible water. Cover the pot with parchment paper or aluminum foil and let the rice continue to cook for about 15-20 mins or until the rice is tender. Please do not add more water otherwise it will be mushy.

14. 14

    When the rice is tender, turn off the heat, sprinkle in your chopped spinach and cover the pot to let the spinach steam.

15. 15

    Once the spinach has wilted the rice is ready

16. 16

    Serve the rice with any choice of protein or enjoy on its own.