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flameRice & Grains
A Beginner's Guide to Jollof Rice, the Essential Dish of West Africa
Ingredients
- 4 plum tomatoes, cored
- 4 cloves garlic, plus 1 clove minced
- 2 medium red onions, plus ½ red onion sliced into rings
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed and cored
- 1 red habanero chile, stemmed and seeded
- 1⁄4 cup canola oil
- 1 1⁄2 tbsp. madras curry powder
- 1 (1") pieces fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 1⁄2 cup tomato paste
- 2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
- 2 1⁄4 cups chicken broth or water
- 1 tbsp. minced fresh thyme leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Jollof is most commonly cooked on the stove, like most rice dishes, but in Nigeria like to cook the dish over a live fire, so the wood imparts a smoky taste and finish—we call it party rice.
- To begin, tomatoes, onions, and scotch bonnet or habanero peppers are pureed in blender until smooth. I recommend using plum or roma tomatoes—they have more flesh and fewer seeds. Then fry some onions in your choice of oil (I always use canola) in a Dutch oven, and add tomato paste after they turn translucent. Then in goes the tomato-onion puree, which fries until thick, rich, and sweet.
- From there, you can add in any number of seasonings: seasoned salt, curry powder, bay leaves, thyme, and maggi cubes. Add in chicken broth to lift up the browned bits, then stir in parboiled rice. It’s ready when there’s no more liquid in the pot.
- Tips for Jollof Greatness
- Parboil the rice: For fully cooked—but not overcooked—jollof, boil your rice in ample water for five minutes before adding to the pot. Strain it through a sieve. Whether or not you rinse the starch off is up to you; I always do and was taught to do so as well.
- (Almost) Instant Smoke: Don't have a wood-fired stove on hand? For a smoky taste in the Nigerian tradition, let your jollof brown a bit on the bottom and form a nice crust. This should be done as the rice and tomato stew base are near melding together at the very end of the cooking process. Another option is the roast the tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, habanero peppers or whatever other vegetables constituting the tomato sauce. Remove the skin of bell peppers if used before pureeing the vegetables and frying.
- Roughly chop the tomatoes, 4 cloves garlic, 2 onions, bell pepper, and habanero and transfer to the bowl of a food processor with 1 cup water; puree and set tomato mixture aside.Heat oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining onions and garlic, along with the ginger, curry powder, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir vigorously, and stir in the reserved tomato mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat the grains. Add broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook, covered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover, fluff rice with a fork, and serve hot.
Originally published at saveur.com. Reproduced for personal collection.