Maybe the most popular dish in West Africa, this recipe for rice infused in a rich tomato-pepper broth is unifying and dividing all at once, with everyone claiming their take on it as the definitive version. Ours takes the best flavours with the addition of charring the peppers in the recipe before puréeing, to help add a smokiness to this jollof ‘party’ rice. If you’d rather keep it more traditional, skip the roasting and just use raw peppers instead
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
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Ingredients
3 red peppers, halved and deseeded
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
20g root ginger, roughly chopped
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato purée
½-1 Scotch bonnet chilli, stalk and seeds removed (or keep them in if you can handle the heat)
2 tsp Caribbean-style curry powder
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
2 bay leaves
350ml vegetable stock (made using 1 stock cube) - use gluten-free stock if required
500g basmati rice, well rinsed
15g unsalted butter
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Roast the peppers ahead of time, or fully prepare the broth to the end of step 3, up to 3 days ahead. Keep chilled. Leftover jollof will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days, but make sure that the rice is spread out and cooled rapidly, then chilled, for food safety.
Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Add the peppers to a lined baking tray, cut-side down, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Roast for 35 minutes or until starting to blacken.
Meanwhile, put the onions, garlic and ginger in a blender with 1 tablespoon of water. Blitz until completely smooth, adding a little more water if needed, then pour into a bowl. Clean out the blender and then add the charred peppers (including their skins), the tinned tomatoes and tomato purée, plus half or all of the Scotch bonnet depending on how much heat you want. Blitz until completely smooth.
Heat the remaining oil in a large, deep pan. Add the onion mixture with a good pinch of salt and cook for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden, stirring. Add the curry powder and cook for a further minute before adding the tomato-pepper mixture, dried mixed herbs and bay leaves. Season, reduce the heat and cover the pan. Cook gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir the stock into the sauce and bring to the boil before stirring in the rice and butter. Bring to the boil again then reduce the heat, cover the pan with a folded piece of foil and add a lid. Cook for 40-45 minutes over a very low heat. The rice should have absorbed all the liquid, be tender and should have caught a little at the bottom to help achieve the smoky flavour characteristic of jollof ‘party’ rice. Once cooked, remove from the heat but keep the lid on for a further 15 minutes to help infuse the flavours. Remove the bay leaves, fluff with a fork and serve.
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When you check on the texture of the rice and it is not soft enough to your liking, cover tightly and leave to steam further. The steam is all that is needed to soften the rice. When ready, you can cook on high heat for a few minutes to infuse that smokey flavour jollof rice is known for.
When you check on the texture of the rice and it is not soft enough to your liking, cover tightly and leave to steam further. The steam is all that is needed to soften the rice. When ready, you can cook on high heat for a few minutes to infuse that smokey flavour jollof rice is known for.
Two other kinds of Jollof are popular, Party and Native Jollof. Party Jollof, also called Party rice, is imbued with smoky flavors and commonly cooked outdoors, over firewood.
Jollof rice from Nigeria is renowned for having a tasty blend of tomatoes, peppers, and different spices. Jollof rice from Ghana, on the other hand, has a distinctive flavor that frequently combines a harmony of flavors with a definite smokiness from the cooking process.
It is this diverse mix of spices, combined with a mastery of heat control, that gives the dish its signature taste. The tangy tomatoes, the spicy peppers, and the aromatic blend of herbs all contribute to the delectable its taste.
Sprinkle just a pinch into your food and mix it in well to see if that helps. This is a good trick for if you're cooking and realize that you added too much of a bitter ingredient. Mix in a pinch of baking soda before the dish is done to fix that.
To get the best out of your jollof rice, it's advisable to get a good brand of basmati rice. It makes a huge difference in the final texture. I personally prefer to use the sella parboiled Extra Long Basmati Rice. It works so well.
🇬🇲🇬🇲 Gambian jollof rice is now officially the best, till further ... TikTok. And the winner of best jollof rice goes to The Gambia! The nation emerged victorious in the jollof competition.
Popular chef, Hilda Baci has weighed in on the Ghanaian jollof vs Nigerian jollof debate. According to Baci, Nigerian jollof is the better version, alluding to the flavour building it comes with. The former Guinness World Record holder made this known when speaking in the latest episode of the 90s Baby Show.
Jollof rice is a popular West African dish known for its vibrant flavors and colorful presentation. The dish has its origins in the Wolof people of Senegal, and its name "Jollof" is believed to be derived from the Wolof word "Benachin," which means "one-pot" or "one-pot dish."
This traditional Nigerian dish brings out the best possible flavor of rice and chicken. Chicken is first sauteed on the stove top to produce a wonderful aromatic base for the rice. For an extra special and authentic touch, serve jollof rice with fried plantains.
Jollof is believed to have originated from the fishing communities of Saint-Louis island in Senegal and it is prepared by mixing rice with fish, tomatoes and vegetables and other ingredients.
A tip is to make sure the pepper is more than raw tomatoes used. Using more raw tomatoes will water down the colour of your Jollof rice. Tomato purée is the secret to the signature red Jollof colour. Substitute the rest of the needed tomatoes for tomato purée.
Cook the pureed mixture in a pot with hot cooking oil over medium-high heat. Stir together and place a lid over it, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the spices and seasonings (Paprika, thyme, nutmeg, bay leaf, and salt), then add the rice and vegetable or meat stock and stir together.
The butter adds a special flavor and also “greases” the rice so they don't stick together. The onions sweat and create steam to further cook and flavor the rice.
Too Much Water and Soggy: If your rice looks like it might get soggy, DON'T leave it in the pot. You want to cool it down as fast as possible in order to stop the cooking process.
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Prep time: 30 mins
