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I've been cooking it yesterday for the required time of 30 minutes. As I opened the lid, it was still crunchy.
That's okay I thought, so I added a cup of water and steamed for about 10-15 more minutes. It was crunchy. So I did it again. And again, and again.
Eventually I left it to rest under the lid and went to sleep.
Next day I wake up to try it, and what do you know, it's crispy. So I heat it up, and cook again after that for about 30 minutes. ITS STILL CRUNCHY. And it's not even really al dente crunchy. It's edible but definitely could be softer
I've cooked this rice plain tons of times, usually simmering for 15 minutes + resting for 8 is enough for it to be fully cooked through and soft. What the hell is wrong with it here?
EDIT: upon some further analysis, some grains seem to be soft, almost mushy, while others are still way too crispy for my taste. Not sure what could cause that, either.
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Girlie you've been cooking it for a day, it's obvious that thing in your pot is not rice😭😭 . Or at least not normal rice. It's literally not getting soft. I suggest you try again with a fresh batch of rice that's just been bought. Where did you get the rice from?
Like someone else said is the fire hot enough?
Are you sure it's not plastic rice. I honestly don't time my jellof rice, i just eyeball it and do the taste test. Maybe steam it next time, so the steam gets to and stays on the top.
This is what comes to mind too. We have poor regulation in Naija and I won't put it past the Chinese to flood these in Naija market. The economy is hard right now and these Chinese know how to exploit those looking for good bargains.
I could guess at a few things, but this is what first comes to mind.
Did you wash the rice?
Your “stew” was not the right consistency.
Too much rice in relation to the amount of stew
Heat was not high enough for the amount you were cooking.
I did wash the rice as I always do, as I've mentioned before I've cooked the same brand of rice for years plain with no issues.
I did everything according to this recipe, https://cheflolaskitchen.com/jollof-rice/#recipe except for adding a habanero pepper I just added 1 more sweet pepper – really don't digest spicy foods well
But anyhow, what is the right consistency? More liquid or more like a puree?
And what is the right heat? I thought as low as possible is good, as long as it barely simmers. Is that not right?
Chef Lola is good. I like her videos and recipes that Ive scene.
Because not all chefs/recipes are the same, I would say generally, you want it thicker than plain stew, but thinner than gbegiri. Maybe closer to the consistency of moin-moin before it’s cooked.
The heat needs to be high enough that it simmers at the top. Yes the bottom will burn a little, but that is calculated loss. Also you want a good seal, you can’t let steam escape, or you’ve just wasted time by that point.
Looks like you’re describing Paella
I usually do like 2 cups of rice to 2.5 cups of water. Then the heat is at medium for the start for it to cook, when the water level is low, I cover it with not just the lid, but with also aluminum foil in-between and out the heat at low. Let it steam 15 mins. Take it off the stove, and let it steam 5 -10 mins.
So for you, it might be insufficient water, or insufficient heat, or your steaming isn't just effective enough (like your steam escapes from your pot) so it struggles to steam and add proper heat so it barely cooks. That's my main suspect here.