Jolloprais – The New Version of Leftover Rice

An African party food, with a Sri Lankan twist.

Serving size – 5 – 6

Prep time – 10 mins, Cooking time –  45 mins, Baking time – 15 mins  

Jollof is a traditional Nigerian rice packed with lots of flavor and aromas. For Sri Lankans, Lamprais is an absolute favorite and it comes with a bowl of yellow rice accompanied by a bunch of side dishes wrapped in a banana leaf. This Jollof rice recipe was inspired by Kikifoodies YouTube channel. The Jolloprais is a twist between Jollof rice and Lamprais and is made specially to celebrate Sri Lankan Independence Day & Black History month in February. For me, it’s the most flavourful and aromatic rice I ever had. If you get bored making fried rice from leftover rice, this is something you might definitely want to try next time. 

Ingredients: 

For the blending mix: 

• 1 1/2 cups Roma tomatoes, cut into big chunks 
• 1 1/2 cups bell pepper (seedless), cut into big chunks 
• 1/2 cup red onion, cut into big chunks 
• 1 scotch bonnet or 2 green chilies

For the rice: 

• 1/4 cup coconut oil/cooking oil 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion 
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tablespoon raw curry powder
• 3/4 tablespoon dry thyme 
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube 
• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 tablespoon black pepper powder
• 4 cups cooked basmati rice 
• A banana leaf – for wrapping 

Let’s cook : 

1. Put the blending mixture ingredients into a blender jar and blend until you get a smooth texture. 
2. Pour the mixture into a pot and simmer on low-medium heat for about 25-30 min to get a concentrated mix (thick paste). 
3. Take a separate pot and add oil and wait for about 5 – 8 seconds until it gets hot. 
4. Then add the chopped onion bay leaf followed by tomato paste and mix it thoroughly. 
5. When you see an oil layer around the mix (within 1-2 mins), add the pre-made concentrated tomato paste, curry powder, thyme, garlic powder, salt, vegetable bouillon cube, and black pepper powder.  
6. After a quick mix, add the rice and mix it again. 
7. Cook the rice on low-medium heat for about 5 mins by mixing gently. 
8. Turn off the heat, and wait for about 5 mins to cool down the rice. 
9. Give it a final mix using a long spoon/spatula to even out the mixture. 

Wrap & Bake : 

1. Take a clean banana leaf that is pre-heated and ready to use and place your rice in the middle of it. 
2. Serve with side dishes of your choice (I have paired this rice with Hot butter cuttlefish and a boiled egg) and wrap carefully. 
3. Then preheat the oven to 350 ºF and bake for about 10-15 mins.   

Tips for you : 

• When you simmer the blending mix make sure to stir in between to prevent burning. 
• When you add tomato paste to the hot oil, make sure it’s not too hot as you might experience some oil splattering. 
• In case you don’t have enough banana leaves, you can always take extra support using a cling wrap around the banana leaf. But, make sure to remove it before baking (As how I did).
• You can make Lamprais as meal prep and store them in the fridge or freezer as per your requirement. But, make sure to thaw it before baking. (The one I stored in the fridge, was thawed for about 30 mins before baking).