West African Jollof Rice

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.

1. Gather all your ingredients and have then measured, chopped and ready to go. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. 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.
3. Blend until you have a smooth liquid.
4. 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.
5. Stir in the smoked paprika, ginger, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
6. Pour in the remaining 2 cups of water and stir.
7. Add the rice to the Dutch oven.
8. Stir the rice to completely combine into the sauce.
9. Cover and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
10. 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.

Looking for more recipes?
Sign up for my free recipe newsletter to get new recipes in your inbox each week!  You can also find me sharing more inspiration in Pinterest and Facebook

West African Jollof Rice

A spicy and aromatic rice that is easy to make with step by step photos.

5 from 12 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main dish

Cuisine: West African

Keyword: African food, easy recipe, spicy rice

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Resting time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 258kcal

Author: Analida Braeger

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 tsp ginger fresh minced or microplaned
• ¼ tsp thyme dried
• ¼ tsp oregano dried
• ¼ tsp black pepper fresh ground
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp 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 Tbsp 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 182mg | Potassium: 303mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 518IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg