jollof spaghetti

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This recipe is inspired by a local Hausa dish known as taliya. Taliya is a local spaghetti made by the Hausa people of Nigeria. It is cooked like jollof rice and the ingredients can be modified to suit your taste buds. Jollof rice is a popular West African rice dish that has rice, tomatoes and peppers as the main ingredients. Jollof spaghetti or spaghetti jollof is also popular in Nigeria with so many variations. It is an economical way to cook spaghetti. It is a simple, quick and delicious one pot wonder that your family would enjoy.

• Add water to a pot and bring it to boil. When it comes to a boil, add enough salt to make the water salty. Then add the spaghetti whole. Cook it "al dente" (7 - 10 minutes) or follow the instructions on the packet. Strain and set it aside. Save some of the water the spaghetti was cooked in if you are not using meat stock.
• Blend the peppers and onion, set it aside.
• Heat palm oil or any vegetable oil of choice over medium heat. Once oil is hot enough (the palm oil would be lighter in color and smoky), add the pepper mix and let it cook for a few minutes, then add curry powder, ground ginger, seasoning cubes and salt (add salt to taste). Stir frequently every 3 - 5 minutes until it is done. The sauce should be ready within 30 minutes.
• Once the sauce is ready, add the cooked spaghetti and spaghetti water or meat stock (about 2 - 3 cups). Stir to combine and cover to cook until there is no more fluid (stir once in a while to prevent the bottom from burning). When it is done, it should look like jollof. 
• Enjoy with any protein of choice.

Ingredients

1 packet spaghetti

3/4 cup palm oil

2 red bell peppers

2 red habanero peppers

1 medium onion

2 seasoning cubes

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp curry powder

Salt