Lopè Ariyo’s Jollof & Suya Burrito

Smokey, Nigerian style Jollof Rice and Beef Suya, wrapped up in a Plantain tortilla with black eyed peas.

Done in 2 hours

Serves 4

Dish by Tom Jackson

Ingredients

for the jollof rice

4 cmginger, chopped

2red onion, chopped

2bell peppers, chopped

2scotch bonnets, chopped and/or deseeded (or to taste)

400gtinned chopped or plum tomatoes

2 tbsptomato puree

1 tspcayenne pepper

1 tspblack pepper

250gbasmati rice

6 tbspgrapeseed oil, plus more for roasting

1bay leaf

salt, to taste

for the beef suya

4minute steaks

2 tbsppeanut powder

2 tsponion granules

1 tspground ginger

2 tspcayenne pepper

1-2 tspground uda/grain of selim

1/4 tspground cloves

peanut or grapeseed oil

for the plantain tortilla

2large ripe plantains, sliced

200gplain flour

2 tbspgrapeseed oil

smoked salt, to taste

to serve

100gblack eyed peas, cooked

shito, to taste

scotch bonnet jam, to taste

Lopè Ariyo took part in a cookery competition organised by Harper Collins and Red Magazine, where she impressed the judges with her fresh take on Nigerian food. She has since gone on to run her food blog, host supper clubs, and release a cookbook, Hibiscus.

Method

Put the bell peppers, onions and ginger in a bowl and toss light in oil. Place the vegetables on a tray and roast in oven at 210C until slightly blackend. You can use an airfryer for this step too.

In a blender place tomatoes, scotch bonnet and roasted veg. Blend until smooth. Heat up oil in a large pot, and once hot carefully add in tomato mix. Mix in tomato puree and spices. Cover and let cook.

After 10 or so minutes add in the rice, stir to make sure everything is evenly coated and cover with foil and a lid. Check every 10 minutes or so and fold to ensure even cooking. This should take about 40 minutes

Meanwhile, move onto the wraps. Fry plantain until golden. Let cool. Add plantain and salt to a food processor or use a fork to mash.

In a bowl combine the flour, oil, plantain and salt. Start by adding 100ml of warm water and using a dough hook begin to knead until smooth and pale yellow. Add 50ml more extra at a time if needed to combine.

If you don’t have a stand or hand mix you can knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes. Cover with a towel and let rest for roughly 15 minutes before rolled them out.

Separate the dough, equally, into 4 pieces and shape into balls. Roll out each ball until very thin, rotate by 90 degrees every roll to get the shape as round as possible. Make sure the surface is floured to avoid sticking. If you have a tortilla press feel free to use that instead.

Heat a large skillet over medium to high heat and add a light layer of oil. Use a paper towel to blot out any excess oil. Cook for roughly 2 minutes or until slightly browned on each side. Once ready, cover with foil and set aside.

Time for the beef suya. Mix peanut powder, ginger, cayenne pepper and ground uda until well combined.

Cover the minute steak with parchment paper and hit with a meat tenderizer until completely flattened. Rub marinade the on both sides and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to 8 hours.

Grill the steaks on for 2 minutes on each side on high heat. If you want a deep smoky flavour, you can set up a charcoal grill other wise a griddle pan will do. Cut the steaks into squares and get ready for assembly .

Heat the tortilla wraps if not warm already. Spread on scotch bonnet jam and pile on jollof rice, bean and suya steak. Top with shito. Fold over ends to the plantain wrap and roll, and for extra security wrap in foil or parchment paper.

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Tom Jackson

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Originally hailing from Birmingham, England and with a culinary heritage sprawling around Britain, Tom, the host of Shelf Life and Alphabetti, is a cook from nowhere that takes inspiration from everywhere. Passionate about the shared food experience and the commonalities between supposedly separate cuisines, Tom showcases broad and thorough references in his cooking and has a particular love for spices. He is also obsessed with pasta salads and is currently waiting for Mr. Naga to get in touch regarding his Ambassadorship.