About this Dish
West Africa's most contested dish — long grain rice cooked in a tomato and pepper sauce until each grain is separate and intensely flavoured. The rivalry between Nigerian and Ghanaian jollof rice is one of the great culinary debates of Africa. The smoky bottom layer is the most prized element.
IngredientsServes 6
🍅Plum tomatoes, 400g (about 5 medium), roughly chopped
🫑Red bell peppers, 2 large, roughly chopped
🌶️Scotch bonnet peppers, 2 (adjust to your heat tolerance)
🧅White onions, 2 large, one quartered and one finely sliced
🍚Long grain parboiled rice, 500g, rinsed and drained
🍗Chicken stock, 500ml (homemade or good quality cube)
🫙Tomato purée, 3 tablespoons
🫒Vegetable oil, 100ml
🧂Seasoning: 2 teaspoons each of curry powder, thyme, and salt to taste
🥬Bay leaves, 3 dried
Method
1
Blend the chopped tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnets, and quartered onion together until completely smooth — this is your base sauce. Pour it into a wide pot and cook on medium-high heat for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the water has evaporated and the sauce has deepened in colour to a dark red paste.2
Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and fry the sliced onion until golden and slightly caramelised, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato purée and fry for 3 minutes, then add your blended tomato-pepper paste. Fry everything together, stirring frequently, for another 15–20 minutes until the oil floats to the top — this step is called 'frying the stew' and is essential for deep flavour.3
Add the curry powder, thyme, bay leaves, and salt to the pot and stir well. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the whole mixture to a rolling boil.4
Add the rinsed rice directly into the boiling sauce, stir once to coat every grain, then reduce the heat to medium-low. The liquid should just cover the rice — if it doesn't, add a small splash of water or stock. Cover the pot tightly with foil first, then place the lid on top to trap all the steam inside.5
Cook on low heat for 30 minutes without lifting the lid. After 30 minutes, check if the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid. If needed, add a tiny splash of water, re-seal, and cook for a further 10 minutes.6
For the prized smoky bottom — the 'party jollof' effect — turn the heat up to medium-high for the final 3–5 minutes with the lid on. You'll hear a gentle crackling; this creates the smoky, slightly charred layer at the bottom. Remove from heat and let it rest, covered, for 5 minutes before serving and scooping up that golden crust.7
Remove the bay leaves, fluff the rice gently with a fork from the top without disturbing the bottom crust, and serve immediately. The slightly charred, smoky rice scraped from the bottom is the cook's reward — don't throw it away.User Reviews
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