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Jollof Rice - A Guide To Mastering The Greatest Rice Dish

Jollof Rice is top tier comfort food. It's decently easy to get right once you understand the mechanics behind it. The keys are cooking down the stew and washing the rice (also proper heat management).

Prep Time

Cook Time

Serves

10 Minutes

1 Hour

4-6 people




Jollof Rice

600g (3 cups) parboiled rice (washed till water runs clear)

300-400g (1.25-1.5 cups) Chicken stock (depends on pot size)

4.5oz tube of tomato paste (one whole tube)

1 finely diced red onion

Tomato Stew

2 red bell peppers

1 medium red onion

1 knob ginger

5 medium tomatoes

2 habaneros or scotch bonnets (1 if you don't like spice)

3 cloves garlic

TO TASTE

Chicken powder or bouillon

Thyme

Curry powder

Olive Oil

2 bay leaves

Salt


Jollof | Step 1: Make Stew And Wash Rice

To a blender, add 2 bell peppers with the seeds removed, 1 medium red onion, 5 tomatoes, 2 habaneros with the seeds removed, and 3 cloves of garlic. Blend this until smooth and set it aside. In a pot or sieve, wash your rice until the water runs clear. This takes usually around 3-5 minutes of washing.


Jollof | Step 2: Cook Out The Stew

In a dutch oven over medium, begin frying your red onions in a little olive oil. The goal here is to get them slightly browned and nicely softened, probably around 5 minutes over medium. Squeeze in an entire tube of tomato paste and cook that until brick red. Add in the blended stew, and season this now with thyme, curry powder, and a few bay leaves. Usually a tablespoon of the curry powder is right, and a tsp of thyme, but season to your preference. Add salt and chicken bouillon. Stir this and simmer for 30-45 minutes. The color will deepen and the water in the stew will be cooked out. As it thickens, the bubbling can get aggressive so watch out for splatters.


Jollof | Step 3: Steam Rice

Add the washed rice and chicken stock (enough to cover the rice and then some). Bring this up to a simmer and then plop the lid on. Be sure to use a tight fitting lid; don't let the steam escape. Turn the heat to low and cook for 35 minutes. Once the time is up, turn off the heat and let sit for another 10 minutes before opening the lid to fluff the rice. The rice should be distinct granules, not sticky at all. Optionally, you can open the lid and put the heat on medium high before fluffing. Cook the bottom for around 3-5 minutes for a dark crunchy bottom. Be careful if you do this, you don't want to scorch the rice. Remove the bay leaf and dig in.


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Hey, I'm Cameron, and I'm glad you're here. I post new recipes every week, all intended to build your confidence in the kitchen, each one with video tutorials to help. Craving something specific? Drop me a note in my contact form! 

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