Jollof Rice hails from West Africa. It is one of the most common dishes and anything but commonplace; people take it seriously. The name is derived from Wolof, the language spoken in Senegal. Cultural tidbit, neither Gambians nor Senegalese call the dish jollof or even Wolof for that matter!
Food and agricultural historians believe rice made its way into Senegambian diets because it was so popular in the upper Niger valley. Rainfall is up to 160 inches in the region, making rice easy to grow. There is also the possibility that when the French colonials increased peanut and oil production in the region, rice imports from South East Asia jumped, thus reducing millet and sorghum from the native people's diets.
As far as a set recipe goes, that is open to interpretation. As somewhat of a national dish in Nigeria, Senegal, and Ghana, every country has their own take on it. Trust me, there is fierce competition about which country takes the cake, er rice with their version. Take it another layer deeper and every family has their own version of it. That's a lot of competition.
The two countries that lead the debate over having the "best jollof rice" are Nigeria and Ghana. In fact, the love of the dish has even inspired a holiday on August 22nd. In addition to enjoying it during holidays, this is a popular street food.
So what is the difference, if we're putting our feelings aside? Nigerian jollof uses long grain parboiled rice. It is washed twice to reduce the starchiness and uses bay leaf as one of the key flavors. Ghana's version uses basmati, a naturally aromatic and starchier rice and skips parboiling. Theirs is also known to be more spicy.
To start, you'll need tomato paste, a scotch bonnet pepper, onions, chicken bouillon, garlic, and parboiled rice. I'm willing to bet you already have most of those on hand. Delicious, mouth-watering jollof rice will be all yours soon.
Here's the step by step photos to make a delicious pot of jollof rice.
- Gather all your ingredients and have then measured, chopped and ready to go. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Place 1 cup of water, tomato paste and the habanero with just the stem removed in a food processor. Note: The habanero will make the rice VERY spicy. Remove the seeds and ribs for a less spicy version or leave out completely.
- Blend until you have a smooth liquid.
- Add the oil to a Dutch oven on medium heat and when hot add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent and then pour in the tomato paste mixture.
- Stir in the smoked paprika, ginger, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
- Pour in the remaining 2 cups of water and stir.
- Add the rice to the Dutch oven.
- Stir the rice to completely combine into the sauce.
- Cover and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes, fluff up with a fork and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- How long can I store this in the refrigerator? Once it has completely cooled you can store this in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave on medium power until hot but stop and stir every 30 seconds to fluff it up.
- Can I freeze the jollof rice? Yes, once it has completely cooled you can pack into zip top freezer bags packed flat to save space and expel all the air. This will keep for a month in the freezer. Thaw it completely and microwave is as described above.
- How can I make this recipe less spicy? You can experiment at the step where you blend the tomato paste and water together. Add a little of the habanero, blend it in and give it a taste. Add more until you get the desired level of heat. Remember most of the pepper's heat is contained in the seeds and ribs.
- Can I use frozen a habanero pepper in this recipe? Sure! I buy several habaneros at a time an freeze them in an airtight bag for later use. A little goes a long way!
Are you interested in exploring more flavors from the African continent? Here are some to try.
Moroccan chicken tagine will fill your home with wonderful aromas while it slowly simmers in a tagine or slow cooker.
If you like lentils then you must try Ethiopioan Misir Wot with bold flavors and is quick to make. North African style lamb meatballs or lamb kofta bring together a tasty sauce you can combine with rice, couscous or pita.
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📖 Recipe
West African Jollof Rice
Ingredients
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion medium sized, chopped fine
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 habanero pepper Whole with only stem removed, this is very spicy!
- 1 teaspoon ginger fresh minced or microplaned
- ¼ teaspoon thyme dried
- ¼ teaspoon oregano dried
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper fresh ground
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika smoked
- 2 cubes chicken bouillon Qty 2 4-gram cubes, crushed fine.
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups rice parboiled, do not rinse
- 3 cups water 1 blended with tomato and habanero, 2 added with rice.
- 1 tablespoon parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Heat the oil in an oven safe Dutch oven on medium heat then add the onion and garlic. Sauté until translucent about 5 minutes.
- In a food processor add 1 cup of water, tomato paste and the habanero. Blend until smooth.
- Add the tomato paste mixture to the Dutch oven and stir to combine.
- Add the ginger, thyme, oregano, pepper, salt, paprika, chicken bouillon, bay leaf and simmer for about 2 minutes while stirring.
- Add the remaining 2 cups water and rice. Stir until well combined.
- Cover and place in the oven for 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes and then fluff up the rice with a fork. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions:
- How long can I store this in the refrigerator? Once it has completely cooled you can store this in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave on medium power until hot but stop and stir every 30 seconds to fluff it up.
- Can I freeze the jollof rice? Yes, once it has completely cooled you can pack into zip top freezer bags packed flat to save space and expel all the air. This will keep for a month in the freezer. Thaw it completely and microwave is as described above.
- How can I make this recipe less spicy? You can experiment at the step where you blend the tomato paste and water together. Add a little of the habanero, blend it in and give it a taste. Add more until you get the desired level of heat. Remember most of the pepper's heat is contained in the seeds and ribs.
- Can I use frozen a habanero pepper in this recipe? Sure! I buy several habaneros at a time and freeze them in an airtight bag for later use.
Dana says
Wow! This is fragrant rice for sure! I love that this can be frozen even though there won't be any left to freeze!
Kelly Anthony says
We love spicy food and this west African jollof rice looks like the perfect amount of heat.
Analida says
Thanks Kelly!
Denise says
I love flavorful rice dishes, and this looks incredible. I need to see if I have the ingredients to make this. Thanks for sharing.
Aline says
I love this dish so much!! It's so flavorful and easy to make with basic ingredients. This recipe is a keeper!!
Pam Greer says
We love hot and spicy at our house, so we absolutely love this dish!!! I like to double the recipe and keep some in the freezer!
Karen says
This looks so savory and spicy! Must try soon.
Heidy says
Jollof Rice looks and sounds amazing. I love all the flavorful ingredients it includes and I am betting this will go over really well in our household.
Amanda says
This dish is so good! I use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian and it's my fav!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
I never tried Jollof Rice before but this West African Jollof Rice is making my tummy growl! Looks really delicious and definitely worth trying!
Ashley Marie Lecker says
I love the background story of this rice. I am also loving all the herbs and that spicy pepper in the rice as well. This sounds like it would be great as a meal, or even as a side when we are grilling.
Chandice Probst says
Yum I love the heat in this recipe as well as all the delicious spices thank you!
Mikayla says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I loved learning about it's origin, and it was really really good! I've never made rice this way but I will definitely repeat, taking the seeds and ribs from the habanero made the heat just perfect for my family.
Analida says
Thanks so much Mikayla! I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Brandon F says
Great recipe. I made some minor changes and added some different vegetables to the dish. With that, just adjust your seasoning as you go and always taste at the very end and see what kind of spice it needs.
Thanks for the great recipe and will definitely try again! I lived in Togo for 27 months. This dish definitely has more flavor to it but still took me back there in memory.
Analida says
Thanks so much Brandon, I am glad you enjoyed the dish!
Kate F says
OMG! The fragrance of the spices! I couldn't wait. It's in the oven but we tasted the sauce that it bakes in and it's INCREDIBLE!!! My only issue was with the "parboiled" rice. Never heard of parboiled rice and had basmati but the directions on the bag were 1 3/4 c liquid to 1 c rice. Using parboiled, your liquid equals 3 c. I used what the basmati rice bag said. I've since discovered that parboiled is the same as "converted" rice. If this turns out, I'll repeat what I did but if not, I'll get converted rice and follow the recipe to a T. Thanks.
Analida says
Thank you Kate and thanks for the update on the rice!