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Concoction Rice

Also known as Concoction Rice (Lagos Street Style)

Concoction Rice is a beloved Lagos street food and home-cooking creation that defies formal categorisation — it is not quite Jollof Rice, not quite a rice stew, but a gloriously improvised one-pot rice dish where rice is cooked directly in a rich, peppery tomato sauce loaded with assorted meat, fish, vegetables and whatever the cook has available. The name 'concoction' reflects its improvisational spirit — it is the rice of resourcefulness, creativity and Lagos kitchen confid

Concoction Rice, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 3 big cups of long-grain rice, washed
  • 4 big ripe tomatoes, blended
  • 2 Tatashe (red bell peppers), blended
  • 3 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 3 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
  • 1 big handful of beef, chicken or any available meat, cooked
  • 1 big handful of smoked fish, soaked and deboned
  • 1 big handful of dried prawns or crayfish
  • 2 big carrots, diced — optional
  • 1 big handful of green peas — optional
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • 1 teaspoon of curry
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 glasses of meat stock or water

Method

  1. 01

    Frying the Pepper Base. Heat oil in a wide pot. Add onion and fry 2 minutes. Pour in blended tomatoes, Tatashe and Atarodo. Fry for 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until oil floats on top and pepper is deeply cooked.

  2. 02

    Adding Proteins. Add cooked meat, smoked fish, dried prawns and any vegetables. Add seasoning cubes, curry and salt. Stir well. Add the meat stock. Taste — the sauce should be bold and well-seasoned.

  3. 03

    Adding the Rice. Add the washed rice directly into the sauce. Stir once. The sauce should barely cover the rice — add a little more water if needed. Cover tightly with foil and lid.

  4. 04

    Cooking. Cook on medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes until rice is fully cooked and liquid absorbed. Check halfway and stir from the bottom if needed. Finish on low heat for 5 minutes.

  5. 05

    Serving. The finished Concoction Rice should be well-seasoned, each grain stained red-orange from the pepper sauce, packed with protein and vegetables. Serve hot directly from the pot.

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