Nigeria

 Welcome to Nigeria!  Seems we are staying in Africa for a bit...with the fall weather finally here, it's time for warm, comforting soups and teas!  I'm ready.  Did you know that Nigeria has over 4,715 plant species, and has the highest twin birth rate in the world?  I wouldn't have thought that Nigeria had so many plants, after looking at pictures...According to Google, the population of Nigeria is 213.4 million people, and the capital is Abuja.  Their national dish is...

 

Jollof Rice!

We've had something similar to Jollof rice in one of our other African countries that we visited, but not with this level of spice!  To go with the Jollof rice, we also made Nigerian Beef Stew.  This stew was different than most stews, as it is a fried stew, so there is not much broth in it.  What broth there is is extremely thick!  When reading the recipes, I thought that they would be on the spicy side...boy, was I right!  Here's what we did:

JOLLOF RICE

2 1/2 C basmati rice

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 large tomato, quartered

2 habanero pepper, cut in half and seeded

2 onions, one chopped, and one diced

2 C beef broth

1/2 C avocado oil

3/4 tbsp curry powder

1/2 tbsp thyme

3 tbsp tomato paste

2 bay leaves

Salt, to taste

1. Put the chopped onion, chopped red bell pepper, habanero pepper, and tomato in a blender and puree.  
2. Pour the blended pepper pure in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, until it has reduced by half.  Set aside.
   
3. Wash the rice until the water is clear, and set aside.
4. Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat.
5. Add the diced onion and saute until translucent.
6. Add the pepper mix, curry powder and thyme to the onion and oil and stir to combine (careful when adding the liquid to the oil!).
7. Cook until the oil floats to the top, stirring occasionally.
8. Add the beef broth and bay leaves, and continue to cook until the oil floats to the top, stirring occasionally.
9. Add the rice to the sauce, and stir until well combined (rice should be at the same level as the liquid).
10. Reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
11. If needed, add 1/4 C water to the rice (I had to add about 1/2 C as the rice cooked).
12. Cover the rice and cook another 10 minutes, or until tender.  If needed, add more water and stir to cook the rice through.
13. Season with salt, to taste, and serve hot.

(Source: Jollof Rice)

NIGERIAN BEEF STEW

3 red bell peppers, chopped

2 cans diced tomatoes

3 habanero pepper, cut in half and seeded

2 onions, quartered

1 tsp salt

1 tsp oregano

2 lbs stew meat

1 C avocado oil

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp thyme

1. Put the onion, red bell peppers, habanero peppers, and tomatoes in a blender and puree.  
2. Pour the blended pepper pure in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, until it has reduced by half.  Set aside.
3.  Boil the beef in enough water to cover it, 1/2 tsp salt, one quartered onion, and oregano, until the meat is tender (mine took about 2 1/2 hours).
4. Remove the beef from the stock, get rid of the scum, and save the broth for later.
5. Place a saucepan on medium high heat, and heat the oil until hot.
6. Fry the cooked beef in the oil until golden brown.
7. Remove the beef and set on a paper towel to drain.
8. To the hot oil, add the pepper mix (carefully!), stir to combine, cover, and let it cook for 10 minutes. 
9. If the stew is becoming too thick, add some of the beef stock to avoid burning.
10. Add the curry and thyme, and stir to combine.
11. Add the beef to the stew, stir to combine, and let if cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the oil floats to the top, stirring occasionally.
12. Serve with rice.

(Source: Nigerian Beef Stew)

The verdict?  It was hot, and I don't mean temperature!  It was very spicy, but it had excellent flavor. I think the stew would have been perfect with white rice instead of the Jollof rice as it would have cut down on some of the spiciness.  However, the combination of the Jollof rice and stew was a bit too much for me!  It was very spicy.  It was hard to tell where one of the flavor profiles ended and where the other one started, since the base was the pepper sauce for both, and they were both spicy.  I did find that the rice was great as leftovers with a fried egg on top though...

 

    

ME

Taste of Jollof Rice (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 6

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 8

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Jollof Rice (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing):8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable):5

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):8

 

ME

Taste of Nigerian Beef Stew (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 7

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Nigerian Beef Stew (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable):7

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):6

 

We're going to stay in Africa next time and visit Somalia!