There are various recipes for Jollof rice and they all depend on which Country you’re from though I’m only familiar with three variants. There’s the Senegalese which of course, Jollof rice originated from. There’s also a Ghanaian version which is in no way similar to the Nigerian version and then we have the ultimate version….Yes! the Nigerian version ( no disrespect to the people of Ghana and Senegal).

It’s also tagged “party jollof rice” cos let’s face it, home-cooked Jollof rice hardly ever tastes like rice served at parties. Party jollof rice are usually very authentic in taste, richer and far more delicious compared with the everyday hob method.

There are three main methods of cooking party jollof  rice; the hob, firewood and the oven method. The hob and oven methods are more common in these parts but the hob is a better method for cooking party Jollof rice.

Two ingredients I add to perfect the Party Jollof rice taste are butter and white pepper. I remember  when we had parties back then and  my mum would pay “Olopos” (caterers) to come cook, they always added butter and white pepper to Jollof rice, but these are ingredients I rarely see listed in Jollof rice recipes these days but they are absolutely necessary. The butter gives it a very rich taste and a lush consistency while the white pepper brings out the signature party jollof rice taste. You just need to try it to believe it.

I will not be parboiling my rice for this recipe. This recipe works just fine for parboiled rice though. Parboiling I find takes a lot away from the frying time which consequently takes a bit away from the perfect consistency in the end. Also, using raw rice helps to eliminate sogginess and gives it a more authentic taste (my opinion).

A common concern raised about Party Jollof rice is “how to achieve the perfect reddy/orangey colour”. It’s simple….. “tomato paste”. I don’t blend too much tomato to begin with, sometimes I do without tomato altogether, I just add lots of tomato paste, NOT enough to overpower the taste of the bell peppers used though. Using too much tomato paste gives Jollof rice a sharp, bordering on sour raw tomato taste.

Another mistake you don’t want to make while cooking Party Jollof rice is adding too much stew/water. It’s better to start off with a minimal amount and then add as you go than be faced with the strugge of decanting secreted stew when you finally realise you’ve added too much; half the time you’ll be paranoid and unnerved throughout the cooking process and you’re far more likely to end up with soggy Jollof rice in the end.

 

Ingredients:

4 Cups Easy Cook Rice

3 Large/ 4 Medium Red Bell Peppers (Tatashe)

1/2 Can of Plum Tomatoes/ 2 Medium Size Tomatoes

11/2 Scotch Bonnet (Ata Rodo)

2 cups Beef or Chicken Stock

120g Tomato Paste

2 Onions

100ml /6 Tablespoons Cooking oil

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Minced Ginger

1/2 Teaspoon Curry powder and Thyme

1/2 Teaspoon any seasoning of your choosing

3 Knorr Chicken cubes

2 Teaspoons White pepper

3 Bay Leaves

1 Medium Size Tomato for Garnishing

Salt to Taste