A Taste of Liberia: Jollof Rice

Liberia also known as "land of the free" is a west African country with one of the most beautiful evergreen forests. Liberia was first founded in 1822 with the resettlement of freed American slaves. Another interesting fact is their capital city Monrovia is named after U.S. president James Monroe. Recently, Liberia has faced many civil wars and food famines that almost destroyed their country and are slowly rebuilding. Liberian culture has both Western and African influences making their culture very diverse. A visitor may see women dressed in American clothing wearing long cotton skirts and bandannas, but also adding their African roots with creative tribal designs. Agriculturally, Liberia grows a wide of range of crops filled with citrus fruits (papayas, pineapples, mangoes, alligator apples), sugarcane, plantains, cassava, and rice. The main staple of food is rice and cassava, where a majority of people eat rice twice a day. Liberia has many road-side restaurants called "Cook Shops" that sell specialty dishes such as jollof rice, which is a dish that can vary from each region, but most make it with leftover chicken or beef mixed with rice that is seasoned with different spices. Jollof rice is usually eaten as an everyday meal, but also for special occasions such as weddings or birthday parties. Here is a recipe to make jollof rice:

Ingredients

1 pound boneless chicken
½ pound beef cubes
½ pound bacon
½ cup oil or shortening
2 onions, sliced
1 pepper, sliced
3 ounces tomato paste
1½ pounds cabbage, cut into chunks
1½ cups rice
6 cups water

Cut chicken, beef, and bacon into ½-inch chunks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and coat with flour.Heat oil in a frying pan, add the meat in small batches, and brown the meat. Remove the meat, setting it aside in a bowl.Sauté the onions and pepper in the oil in pot until soft, about 5 minutes.Return the meat to the pot and add the tomato paste.Add water, cover, and heat to boiling. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.Add rice, bring to a boil. Reduce heat.Add cabbage, and simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes.Serve while hot.

Enjoy!




sources: http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Liberia.html#Jollof_Rice,
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Cookbook/Liberia.html