African rice dishes are not only flavorful, but they also tell the story of the rich cultural practices of Africans and their creativity in the culinary arts.
One-pot dishes are a cook's favorite because not only are they easy to prepare, but they are packed with lots of flavor, one that'll leave you craving for more.
Also, they help to cut down on cooking time, requiring little to no effort to bring together, and leaving you with less cleanups to do at the end of the cooking session.
Africa has quite a variety of deliciously tasty one-pot meals, delivering on both taste and nutritional benefits. But our focus in today's post is on rice dishes from Africa.
Let's take a look at the top 5 one-pot rice dishes from different countries in Africa.
1. Jollof Rice
Jollof rice is a spicy West African staple food, usually prepared by Nigerians and Ghanaians although it was said to originate from Senegal.
This rice dish is cooked with a combination of smoothly blended tomatoes and chilli pepper mix boiled down to a thick paste. It's prepared with lots of onions and spices like curry, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and seasoning cubes.
Additionally, jollof rice is versatile as it can be paired with salads and vegetables like carrots, peas, bell peppers can be added to enhance the flavor.
However, it is best eaten with fried or grilled protein of choice.
Jollof rice delivers nutritional benefits as it has a combination of carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals from the veggies, fat from the oil uses.
2. Pilau
Pilau is another one-pot rice dish that's native to East Africans like the Tanzanians and Kenyans.
This rice dish is made by cooking rice in a rich stock while spices like cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander, garlic onions, and cardamon are added to the stock.
Also, meat or vegetables are added to the pot such that they cook together with the rice.
This reveals a fluffy, tasty, and fragrant rice dish as all the ingredients come together nicely, having enough time to cook until all of the stock is fully absorbed into the rice.
However, there are different variations of this meal as one or more spices can be substituted for the other based on recipe peculiar to such regions, cultural values, and personal preference.
3. Thieboudienne
This one-pot rice dish which is pronounced "Chee-bu Jen" is not only popular but is also a national dish of Senegal.
Thieboudienne is a really delicious rice dish prepared with broken rice, flaky white fish that has been marinated in a blend of different herbs and spices before being cooked in tomato sauce.
Additionally, it uses the addition of a variety of vegetables like carrots, cassava and cabbage to further enhance the overall flavor and aroma of the dish.
Although it looks like jollof rice, it has a distinctively different taste that the regular Nigerian jollof rice doesn't have.
4. Benachin
Benachin is another one-pot African rice dish that's exceptionally popular and loved by West Africans especially in The Gambia and Senegal. The name Benachin means "one-pot" in Wolof language- Impressive!
It uses a combination of the main staple which is rice, proteins like meat, pork, or fish and a range of spices like chilli peppers, paprika, cumin.
Additionally, just like jollof rice, it's cooked in a tasty and flavorful tomato and pepper sauce which gives it a reddish or orangish hue.
Also, vegetables like green peas, red kidney beans, collard greens, carrots and onions are added to further enhance the taste of this hearty and aromatic rice dish.
It's usually served at special occasions in these West Africa countries and it can also make the best one-pot dinner recipe just like others on this list.
5. Riz gras
Also known as Riz au gras, this one-pot African rice dish is popular in West African countries like Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Benin Republic and Togo.
It is prepared by using rice, a significant amount of meat or fish and vegetables like onions, peas and carrots. Also, it uses a bunch of natural spices like cumin, paprika, coriander and lots more for a more aromatic flavor.
These veggies are then combined in a rich tomato and pepper base fried in oil to make stew alongside extra chunks of bell peppers, eggplant, cabbage, garlic, ginger, salt, and a rich vegetable or meat stock required to cook the rice until fluffy.
Based on individual preference, veggies like eggplant or steamed carrot and cabbage can be served on top of the rice. It's often served at gatherings and special occasions but it can also serve as a simple everyday meal or dinner recipe.
Conclusion
One-pot rice dishes are necessary to build flavour in cooking, as cooking everything together in a pot allows the flavor to build, intensify and combine nicely while offering convenience and topnotch nutritional benefits in every meal.
They help to simplify the cooking process in that an entire meal is cooked in a single pot, cutting off the need for multiple pots. This simple method helps to save time after every meal as you tend to spend less time doing cleanups after cooking.
Additionally, these one-pot rice dishes from Africa are good especially for beginner cooks because they offer a straightforward preparation method. One without multiple steps or measurements that can overwhelm a newbie in cooking.
If you’re a beginner trying to ease your way into flavorful African rice dishes like jollof rice, our jiffy jollof sauce helps to get the right taste every time. Click here to check our collection.