Jollof rice is arguably Nigeria’s most popular dish and one of the most flavorful one-pot meals out of the country.
Although there are several versions from different West African countries, Nigerian jollof rice wins the debate almost every time.
So, here’s the super simple step-by-step Nigerian recipe to make the perfect jollof rice fast.
Perfect Jollof Rice Ingredients and Preparation
For a tasty and delicious pot of jollof rice, you need the following ingredients.
● 2 large red fresh tomatoes
● 1 large red bell pepper - cut and seeded
● 1 scotch bonnet pepper (use as much or less as you can tolerate)
● 4 cloves of garlic
● A medium-sized thumb of ginger
● 2 red onions
● 1/2 cup cooking oil: to sauté the onions and tomato paste
● 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
● 1 teaspoon of curry powder
● 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
● 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika
● 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
● 1 bay leaf
● 2 cups of long-grain or Basmati rice. Rinse and pour into a sieve to drain
● Salt, seasoning cubes or bouillon powder, 1 plum tomato cut into rings (for garnish)
● 1 and a half cups of rich chicken, beef, or vegetable stock.
Preparation
● Combine fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, scotch bonnet, ginger, garlic, and 1 bulb of onion in a blender and blend until smooth.
● Transfer the blended mix into a pot and boil until the liquid is almost dried up.
● In another pot, add the cooking oil and chopped onions, and sauté until translucent.
● Add in the tomato paste and stir-fry until crumbly. Pour in the boiled pepper paste, season with spices and stir.
● Add in the stock and stir, taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Bring the mixture to a boil.
● Once it's boiled, pour in the washed rice and stir to loosen it up. Add more water to the same level as the rice and cover to cook.
● After about 15-20 minutes, check on the rice. By now, it should be tender with little to no liquid left. If yours still has too much water, remove the lid and continue cooking for additional minutes.
● Once the liquid is dried up, cover the pot tightly with a foil and reduce the heat, leaving it to cook on low heat. This will help you get the perfect texture for your jollof rice.
● Remove the lid after 10 minutes of cooking on low heat, add in the remaining chopped onions, unsalted butter and ringed tomatoes for garnish.
● Cover and allow it to steam on low heat for 5-10 minutes.
● Stir properly for everything to combine nicely.
And voila! Your delicious pot of jollof rice is ready to be enjoyed. Serve with fried ripe plantains for the full experience.
Tips for Perfect Jollof Rice
If you’re cooking jollof rice from scratch, you’ll find these tips helpful:
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Use fresh and ripe tomatoes and peppers. This will help with the taste and color of the jollof rice.
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Use a double-concentrated tomato paste like De Rica. This will give the tomato a more reddish appearance. Tasty Tom is a good alternative, but you can use other brands.
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Fry your tomato paste really well until it has a crumbly texture. Tomato paste has a tangy taste that only frying helps get rid of. If your tomato paste is not well fried, you'll get a sour-tasting rice.
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Jollof rice needs steam to cook, not water. Don't add too much liquid to your jollof rice as it'll make it soggy, while giving your rice a washed-up look and taste.
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Cook on low heat. A perfect jollof rice requires an adequate level of heat. Cooking on low heat allows your rice to absorb the sauce better. Too much heat, however, will make your rice burn without cooking at all. Although burning is an important part of jollof rice as it gives it a smoky flavor, excessive burning will affect the end result.
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Use long-grain rice or Golden Sella basmati rice. Short-grain rice is bound to get soggy and bind together easily, while long-grain rice cooks well with its grain standing separate.
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Stir minimally. Over-stirring your jollof rice, especially when it's still cooking, will only break the grains into tiny bits. Also, be sure to do the lift and turn method, preferably with a flat cooking spoon.
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Use a rich chicken, beef, or vegetable stock for an intensely flavorful rice. This is better than using plain water as it adds the flavor of the protein into your rice, further intensifying the taste of your dish.
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If you don't have so much time on your hands as this process might take a long while, you can use an authentic jollof rice sauce like our Jiffy Jollof sauce to cut down on your cooking time.
Conclusion
Jollof rice is a delicious dish, especially in West Africa, where it is dearly loved and enjoyed. It is flavourful, tasty, with a burst of pleasant aroma as it uses different types of earth spices.
However, making jollof rice requires a lot of time and patience as the tomato stew base requires a lot of frying. This frying process takes up so much time, making it take way longer than 30 minutes.
But you can cut the cooking time in half and make the perfect pot of jollof rice in under 30 minutes by using Jiffy Jollof sauce.
Jiffy Jollof sauce is an authentic jollof rice sauce that already contains all the ingredients you need to cook the perfect pot of jollof rice without starting from scratch. It will be helpful, especially on busy days when you’re too tired to stand for extended periods of time in the kitchen.