If you have not yet crossed paths with this dish, just know that it is one of the most delicious preparations of rice you will ever enjoy. Jollof is rice cooked in a spicy, well-seasoned tomato stew. It is a dish enjoyed in several West African countries. Since my background is Ghanaian, I am going to boldly proclaim the recipe written here as Ghanain jollof, though like most recipes, every family or individual has their own set of tips and tricks for making the best version of this dish. All over the internet there is a playful debate about which West African country makes the best jollof. A lot of the debate is between Ghana and Nigeria, although Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon are all contenders in this battle for best jollof.
To me, this version of jollof is absolutely perfect: it’s a bit spicy, and very flavourful without being too saucy or rich. The method and ingredients I have chosen are a combination of recipes by my various family members. One unique feature of this recipe is that the jollof is started on the stove and then baked. In my family, everyone bakes their jollof, and I find it makes for a fool-proof cooking method. This way, the jollof rice cooks perfectly and tends not to burn. Baking results in a nice slightly crispy layer on the bottom that is perfectly browned. In my family we eat jollof with chicken, creamy coleslaw and shito – Ghanaian black pepper made from chillies and dried fish. Delicious!
Jollof Rice
Equipment
- 1 Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup vegetable oil canola and sunflower oil also work well
- 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 medium-large Spanish onion sliced thinly
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon curry powder
- 2 bay leaves optional
- 1 chicken beef or shrimp bouillon (optional)
- Pinch nutmeg optional
- Salt as needed
Blended Aromatics
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 small onion half large onion, peeled and cut in half
- 2 small scotch bonnet or habanero, stems removed
- 2 inch ginger peeled
- 1 red bell pepper seeds removed, cut in half
- 3 garlic cloves peeled
To cook rice
- 5 cups of rice of good quality Jasmine rice
- 2 ½ – 3 cups of water
Instructions
- Blend aromatics and crushed tomato: Blend your onion, scotch bonnet, ginger, bell peppers and garlic with your crushed tomato and set aside.
- In a Dutch oven on medium heat, add your vegetable oil, and sliced onions. Stir with a wooden spoon for 10 minutes on medium until onions begin to lightly brown and soften. If using Bay leaf, add it here and saute with onions.
- Add your tomato paste and fry for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure it does not burn.
- Add your chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes stirring constantly so it does not burn. You want to mash them with the back of your wooden spoon.
- Add all your seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, curry powder, chicken bouillon, pinch of nutmeg if using, and mix well. Add your bouillon cube if using and mix until it dissolves.
- Simmer on low heat, stirring periodically until there is an oil layer over your well seasoned tomato stew.
- Add your smooth blended aromatics and crushed tomato you prepared earlier to your tomato stew.
- Simmer, stirring constantly for 30-40 minutes. It may bubble so make sure you are simmering on low and have a lid partially covering your pot. Stirring every 2 minutes or so is important because near the end of the 30 minutes, your tomato stew can burn easily. You want your oil to separate from your stew yet again. Ghanaians cook their stews for a very long time when making jollof to get the best results.
- Near the end of cooking, wash your Jasmine rice. Wash your Jasmine rice by rinsing it with water and pouring it off the water, repeat until the water runs nearly clear, this may take up to 4 rinses and pours.
- After your oil has resurfaced on your stew, and the stew has reduced in volume and darkened slightly, taste and add salt to taste. The amount of salt you add will vary because it is dependent on the salt in your bouillon cube if using, or even in your crushed tomato if it comes with salt added. I use unsalted crushed tomatoes.
- Add washed Jasmine rice after seasoning. Mix your rice into your stew thoroughly until all the rice is coated.
- Add 2 ½ cups of water, you want your water to be just about ½ cm above the rice and no more or your rice will get mushy. Taste and add more salt if necessary. You want your water-stew-rice mixture to be well seasoned or else the jollof rice should be under seasoned. You are adding more salt here to compensate for the water and rice added to the stew.
- Cover your Dutch oven with tin foil, place the tin foil so that it is touching the rice, and place your lid over it.
- Place in the oven and bake for 75 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- After 75 minutes, carefully take your Dutch oven out and check doneness. Remove the foil and your rice will have a thin layer of tomato sauce over it but stir that in. Your rice should be well cooked, not mushy and very steamy.
- If undercooked, add up to ¼ – ½ cup of water depending on how hard your rice is, cover tightly with tin foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- If your rice is overcooked, the only fix is to bake uncovered for about 15 minutes to try and dry it out a bit.
- Tip: If you do not have a dutch oven, follow the recipe as written in a stove top safe pot. When you need to baken, you can transfer your stew-rice-water mixture into a deep dish disposable foil baking pan. Cover with more foil and follow baking instructions.
