Check rice

Ingredients

Rice

• 500 glong grain rice
• 750 mlwater
• 2 teaspoonssalt

Greens

• 300 gpotato greens, sweet potato leaves
• or 300 g collard greens
• or 300 g spinach
• water, for washing

To flavour

• 1onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoonspalm oil or vegetable oil
• 1stock cube
• 1chilli, whole
• black pepper

To serve

• palm butter soup
• or groundnut soup
• or any gravy
• grilled or fried fish

Directions

1. Check rice is Liberian rice cooked with chopped greens. Check rice makes the rice itself more interesting. Cassava leaf needs long boiling first for safety. Pick the leaves from their stems. Discard any thick or woody stalks. Wash them in several changes of cold water. Lift them out rather than pouring the water off.
2. Repeat until the water runs clear. Chop the leaves as finely as you can. Rinse the rice in cold water until it runs clear. Drain it thoroughly in a sieve. Heat the oil in a heavy pot with a lid.
3. Add the finely chopped onion to it. Cook it for about six minutes until soft. Crumble the stock cube into it. Add the finely chopped greens. Stir them through the onion well. Let them wilt for about three minutes. Add the drained rice to the pot. Stir it through the greens thoroughly. Every grain should be coated with oil.
4. Let it fry for about two minutes. That frying helps keep the grains separate. Season it with salt and black pepper. Adding the water needs some care. Pour in all the measured water. Use about one and a half parts water to rice.
5. Add the whole chilli on the top. Bring the whole pot to a boil. Cover the pot with a tight lid. Let it cook for about eighteen minutes. Do not lift the lid at any point.
6. Take the pot off the heat entirely. Leave the lid on and let it stand. Give it a full ten minutes to rest. Take the lid off and remove the chilli. Lift and separate rather than stirring. The greens should be evenly distributed.
7. Pile the rice up onto a plate. Ladle palm butter or groundnut soup over it. It keeps two days refrigerated.

Technique

• In Liberian eating a meal means rice with a soup or gravy over it, and the rice is the substance of the plate.
• The name comes from the flecked or checked appearance the finely chopped greens give the cooked grains.

Substitutions

• Spinach, collard greens or chard all work in place of sweet potato leaves.
• Cassava leaf is used in some households but must be boiled thoroughly first for safety.

Variations

• Some cooks add smoked fish or dried shrimp to the pot.
• A version cooked with palm oil is richer and deeper in colour.
• Jollof rice is the other great West African rice dish.

History

Rice cooked with chopped greens so the grains look flecked or checked; it is served under gravies and soups as an everyday plate.

Frequently asked questions

What is Check rice?

Check rice is a salad & side from Liberia: rice cooked flecked with greens, eaten under gravies. Rice cooked with chopped greens so the grains look flecked or checked; it is served under gravies and soups as an everyday plate.

How long does Check rice take to make?

Check rice takes 20 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Check rice?

Yes, within limits. Spinach, collard greens or chard all work in place of sweet potato leaves. Cassava leaf is used in some households but must be boiled thoroughly first for safety.

What is the most important thing to get right in Check rice?

Check rice is Liberian rice cooked with chopped greens. Check rice makes the rice itself more interesting. Cassava leaf needs long boiling first for safety. Pick the leaves from their stems. Discard any thick or woody stalks. Wash them in several changes of cold water. Lift them out rather than pouring the water off.