The mother of celebrity chef, Hilda Baci, has said her daughter’s new Guinness World Record for the largest pot of jollof rice was achieved through prayer, fasting and the mercy of God.
Mrs Bassey, who runs Calabar Pot restaurant in Gudu, Abuja, gave the testimony during Pastor Jerry Eze’s NSPPD online morning service on Tuesday.
She said Hilda first told her about the plan to cook a six-metre-wide pot of rice, using 250 bags of basmati.
“My daughter said, ‘Mommy, I want to cook the biggest pot of jollof rice.’ When she mentioned 250 bags, I was shaking. When I saw the video of the pot, I said, what kind of rice is this? That pot was like my office. I was afraid,” she recalled.
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She said they immediately turned to prayer and fasting, asking God to take control of the record attempt.
“She told me, Mommy, we have to fast this whole week. I joined NSPPD every morning, prayed all through the night, and put the picture of the event before God. I said, Father, what you did before in Amore Garden, do it again in Eko Hotel. A season of good news must not turn to shame,” she said.
According to her, she feared the giant pot could collapse under the weight of rice, oil and meat.
“Even the cover of that pot, people could not carry it. They had to bring cranes to lift it. I prayed, Father, this pot I hand over to you. May it not leak. Because if it leaked, fire would have started. But God did it,” she said.
Mrs Bassey revealed that the pot eventually took 200 bags of rice, 20 goats, 30 gallons of oil, and large quantities of tomato paste and seasoning.
“That pot swallowed everything. By Saturday it had been carried to the venue. I walked in, touched it, and told God, what I am afraid of will not happen. And it ended in praise,” she said.
She narrated that towards the end of the cooking, Hilda encouraged everyone with faith.
“About 40 minutes to go, she came to me and said, ‘Mommy, we need to pray in the Holy Ghost.’ She told the team, ‘This is the first time you people will eat rice that the Holy Ghost will cook.’ And I smiled. That is the kind of faith she has,” she added.
She said Guinness officials later weighed the pot with a crane and confirmed the record without any problem.
Breaking into gratitude, she said, “Guinness has called us. My daughter has broken the record two times. Two times record holder. Who is Hilda? Who is her father? Who is her mother? For us to pull such a crowd, it can only be God.”
The proud mother said she was overwhelmed by the massive crowd that came to witness the record attempt.
“When I saw the crowd, I just said, what God cannot do does not exist. Father, no one will collapse here, no death, no accident, no evil report. And that was how it ended, everything in praise,” she said.