Ingredients
Main components:
- Chicken: Large whole chickens, cleaned and cut into pieces.
- Rice: Broken rice (fragrant rice), washed thoroughly until the water runs clear.
- Vegetables: Carrots, cabbage, eggplant, cassava and peppers.
- Herbs (Nokoss): A mixture of garlic, onions, parsley and green peppers.
The red base:
- Tomato concentrate: Fried in oil to give the dish its characteristic deep red color.
- Oil: For frying chicken and tomato base.
- Seasoning: Salt, black pepper and broth (optional).
Preparation
- Marinate and fry the chicken: The chicken is seasoned with nokoss (aromatic mixture) and fried in hot oil until golden brown.
- Create the red sauce: In the same oil used for the chicken, the tomato paste is fried carefully to remove the acidity and develop the red color.
- Simmer with the vegetables: Water is added to the fried tomato base. Once boiling, vegetables (cabbage, carrots, etc.) are added and left to simmer until tender.
- Steam for rice: The washed rice is placed in a steam basket (coussoussier) above the boiling pot for steam pre-cooking.
- Cooking rice in broth: Once the vegetables are cooked and removed, the pre-steamed rice is added directly into the flavorful red broth.
- Final cooking: The fire is reduced (by removing wood from the hearth in this outdoor setting) to let the rice absorb the liquid and become tender.
- Service: The rice is served in a large dish, topped with fried chicken and cooked vegetables.