BOILED RICE serve 4

600g/. 11b rice
11tr/2pints water
salt to taste

Pick and wash the rice. Place in a good size pot and cover with cold water. Place on heat and allow to boil for 5minutes, remove form heat and wash away excess starch with cold water. Barely cover rice with cold water, add some salt and a little butter. Cover pot and cook 20 minutes until cooked and all the moisture is absorbed. Fluff with a fork to senarate grains and serve hot.

FRAGRANT COCONUT RICE serves

450g / 11b rice
11tr / 2 pint Coconut milk
I medium size fresh fish
225g/ 8oz fresh prawns (shelled)
1 OOg / 4oz ground crayfish
2 chillies (sliced)
1 onion (sliced)
2 tomatoes (sliced)
salt to taste

Wash the rise and place in a large pot. Add the coconut milk together with the sliced chillies, onions tomatoes and salt. Bring to boil, reduced heat and allow to cook for 15minutes. Sprinkle in the ground crayfish and stir arrange the washed fish and prawns on the top, cover and cook gently for another 15 minutes until all the liquid is well absorbed.

JOLLOF RICE serves 4

600g/11b rice
1 kg / 21b meat or chicken
2 chillies (liquidised)
I onion (liquidised)
11tr / 2pints stock
I onion (sliced)
3 fresh tomatoes (sliced)
200ml groundnut oil
Seasoning
I bay leaf
teaspoon thyme
I clove garlic
I teaspoon curry
I teaspoon nutmeg
salt to taste

Wash the meat or chicken, season with garlic and salt. Place to cook until tender. Wash the rice and leave to drain. Heat the oil and fry the cooked meat until brown, remove from pan and fry the ground tomatoes, onions and chillies for 10minutes. Add the tomato puree and seasonings, fry for another 5 minutes, add the washed rice and gradually add the stock, stirring con tinuously.

Bring to the boil and reduced heat, cook for 15min utes until nearly soft. Add the sliced tomatoes, onions and fried meats. Stir cover and allow to steam until all the liquid is well absorbed. Serve hot garnished with meat pieces and boiled eggs.

500g / llb boiled rice
2lb groundnut oil
1 onion (finely sliced)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
2tsp tomato puree
225§ / 8oz cooked green peas

Heat oil in a medium frying pan. Add onion and garlic and fry until soft, and tomato puree, pear and rice. Mix well and fry for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

RICE AND BEANS CASSEROLE serves 4
Very popular and nutritious dish for vegetarians

225g / 8oz long-grain rice
2tbs, ground oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic crushed
I chilli finely chopped
350g/2oz tomatoes, skinned and chopped
I red pepper, seeded and diced
225g / 8oz cooked red beans
600ml / lpt water or stock
I green pepper, seeded and diced

Heat oil in a medium frying pan. Add onion and garlic and fry until soft and translucent. Add the chilli, toma toes, and peppers and cook until thick and well blended Season with salt, stir in the beans mixing well and add the rice and water. Cover and cook for 20 minutes until rice is tender and all water is well absorbed. Stir and serve hot.

To Make Coconut Rice

Open a coconut by tapping around the middle of the nut with a hammer until it cracks open into two. Remove the white flesh and roughly grate it. Pour hot water over grated coconut and leave to stand until luke warm. Press and squeeze the flesh to extract the milk, then sieve in separate liquid. The more water you use the thinner the milk will be. In general, one fresh coconut will yield about 600ml/lpt medium thick milk.

Coconut Rice:

225g/8oz long grain rice
2tbs ground oil
1 Onion, finely sliced
600g/pint coconut milk
Salt to taste

Wash the rice in several changes of cold water and drain. Heat the oil in a saucepan: fry the onions for 30 minutes. Add the rice and coconut milk, season with salt. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender. Fluff the rice witha fork and serve hot.

Courtesy of Laura Edet