Liberian Jollof Rice with Crab Salad & Crab Custard

Chef – Tim Blake

Jollof Sauce

Rapeseed oil
975 g tomatoes, chopped
375 g red pepper, cut into large chunks
225 g red onion, cut into large chunks
38 g garlic, cut into large chunks
38 g ginger, cut into large chunks
33 g scotch bonnet chillies, deseeded
15 g black garlic
23 g crayfish powder
13 g dried chipotle chillies
22 g hot paprika
15 g black peppercorns
23 g madras curry powder
13 g smoke powder
11 g ground cinnamon
8 g cumin seeds, toasted then ground
8 g Tabasco
15 g tamari
8 g fish sauce
8 g Worcestershire sauce
49 g sugar
15 g salt
750 g dashi, to loosen the mix

Crab salad

125 g white crab meat, picked
¼ bunch coriander leaves
13 g chives
¼ apple
2 g paprika
2 g ground turmeric
2 g freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Lemon juice

Crab custard

225 g brown crab meat
50 g egg yolks
15 g fresh ginger
10 g garlic
½ scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded
75 g whipping cream
75 g milk
Smoked salt

Rice

500 g Liberian wild rice

Method:

To begin, make the jollof sauce – this will later be used to cook the rice. Add a generous amount of rapeseed oil to a very hot pan and, when smoking, add the tomatoes. Leave the tomatoes to sizzle in the oil for several minutes, allowing them to slightly burn and smoke on the bottom. Turn over after 5 minutes and continue to cook on a high heat until reduced and broken down.

Toss the roughly chopped peppers, onions, garlic and ginger in some oil and grill until very charred. Place all the charred vegetables into the reduced tomatoes, along with the spices and other condiments (save the dashi for later). Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat until soft and reduced.

Blitz very well, loosening with the dashi to adjust the consistency to that of a smooth sauce, and pass through a sieve. Transfer the pulp remaining in the sieve to a bag made from double layers of muslin and use this to squeeze out the last drops of sauce.

To make the crab salad, finely slice the coriander leaves with a very sharp knife. Finely slice the chives into small rounds. Peel the apple and dice very finely. Mix all the ingredients well and reserve in the fridge.

For the crab custard, blitz all the ingredients in a high-power blender for 5 minutes, then pass through a fine sieve into a pan. Heat the mixture gently on the hob, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Wash the rice well, then drain. Place in a large pan with the jollof sauce and simmer until cooked through. To serve, roast the rice in a hot pan.

Divide between bowls, drizzle with the crab custard and top with the crab salad. Serve immediately garnished with fresh sorrel.