Recipe courtesy of Eric Adjepong
Recipe courtesy of Eric Adjepong
Watch how to make this recipe.
Jollof Rice
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- Level: Easy
- Total: 1 hr 30 min
- Active: 35 min
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 290
- Total Fat
- 10 g
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 46 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Protein
- 5 g
- Cholesterol
- 0 mg
- Sodium
- 457 mg
When home chefs who are unfamiliar with West African cuisine ask me about jollof rice, I tell them, "If aliens were to visit west Africa and ask for a meal to represent the culture, 7 out of 10 people would serve the aliens jollof." This rice dish is an integral part of Ghanaian and West African cuisine as a whole and a must at every family event. Cooking it illustrates one of the mother sauces of West African cooking: the red stew. It's bold and slightly spicy, made from cooking a purée of raw ingredients until they meld together to create a stew that flavors each grain of rice. That red stew is the genesis of so many dishes in West Africa like fante fante (fish stew) or waakye. Jollof is our cuisine’s Indian curry or our matzo ball soup because like those two dishes, each family and grandmother have their own recipe. This is my family's version. Take your time building the flavors in the red stew and watch and smell as it develops in flavor as it cooks.
- Level: Easy
- Total: 1 hr 30 min
- Active: 35 min
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 290
- Total Fat
- 10 g
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 46 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Protein
- 5 g
- Cholesterol
- 0 mg
- Sodium
- 457 mg
Ingredients
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Directions
- Thoroughly rinse rice in a fine-mesh sieve under running water until water from the rice runs clear; we are looking to remove as much starch from the rice as possible.
- In a blender, process red onion, tomato, anise seed, red pepper, Scotch bonnet pepper, garlic and ginger until smooth.
- Add vegetable oil and coconut oil to a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and cook Spanish onion, stirring often, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste, curry powder, paprika, nutmeg and bouillon and cook for 5 more minutes or until spices and bouillon are well incorporated. Add in tomato mixture and bay leaves; cook down, whisking occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. (You're looking to cook the raw flavors out.) Season with 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
- Add rinsed rice to tomato mixture and toast rice, stirring constantly, for 5 to 7 minutes or until most of the liquid in the pot has been absorbed.
- Add stock, cover with a towel or aluminum foil and then the lid and allow to simmer over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is done, gently stirring the rice at least twice during that time. Serve immediately.
