After I discovered that a large amount of my heritage existed in Mali, Congo, Ghana and Nigeria, I had to make my take on the West African classic Jollof Rice. I cook rice in rich ingredients like chicken stock, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and spicy chilies. Just know there are a ton of different interpretations but I gotta say, I truly love this one.
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Jollof Rice Ingredient Notes
- Aromatics: Garlic, fresh ginger, and onions are sauteed for the flavor base.
- Tomatoes: I prefer using canned crushed tomatoes.
- Spicy chilies: I use habanero pepper. Adjust based on what you prefer.
- Chicken stock: You can also use vegetable stock for a vegan version.
- Basmati rice: I don’t recommend swapping out.
- Spices and herbs: We will use curry powder, dried thyme, smoked paprika, and a fresh bay leaf.
How to Make Jollof Rice
- Cook the onions in the olive oil in a large pot until softened. Then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds to release their fragrance. Stir frequently so they don’t burn!
- Add the rice and stir it in the pot to toast it.
- Add the stock, crushed tomatoes, seasoned salt, smoked paprika, curry powder, thyme, paprika, and bay leaf to the pot. Stir everything together and once it boils, cover it with a lid and cook until the liquid evaporates and the rice is tender.
- Turn off the heat and allow the rice to rest with the lid on. Remove the bay leaf and stir everything together. Serve it up garnished with parsley and bay leaves.
Jollof Rice Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onions
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
- ½-1 thinly sliced habanero pepper depending on your preference for heat
- 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 15 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp seasoned salt
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dried bay leaves
- Chopped parsley and/or bay leaf for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onions to pot and saute until tender, cooking for roughly 5 minutes. Next add in minced garlic, ginger and habanero pepper and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant, making sure not to burn the garlic.
- Pour in rice and stir to combine with other ingredients. Allow the rice to toast in the pot for about 2 minutes. If you find any of the ingredients sticking to the bottom of the pan you can deglaze it by adding a little bit of the chicken stock and scraping up the bits with a spoon or spatula.
- Add in the rest of the chicken stock, then add the crushed tomatoes, seasoned salt, smoked paprika, curry powder, thyme, paprika and bay leaf and stir together then bring to a boil.
- Once it begins to boil, reduce heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Continue cooking rice for 20 minutes or until all liquids evaporate and rice becomes more tender. If needed, cook for an additional 2-5 minutes.
- Turn off heat and allow rice to rest for 10 minutes with the lid on. Once rice is completely tender, make sure all ingredients are stirred together. Remove bay leaves. Top with parsley and bay leaf for garnish and serve.
Notes
- Be sure to allow the dish to rest after cooking. This gives it the time needed to not only cool down but also fully marry together each ingredient and allow all the flavors to meld.
- Store the leftovers in the fridge for up to four days in an airtight container.
- For a less spicy version, use less of the habanero. Don’t forget to also remove all the seeds and veins.
- Serve jollof rice with fried plantains, stewed goat, roast chicken, oxtails, or short ribs. It is absolutely perfect to serve with these dishes. Each bite is magical. You can see why it has existed for many centuries.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to allow the dish to rest after cooking. This gives it the time needed to not only cool down but also fully marry together each ingredient and allow all the flavors to meld.
- Store the leftovers in the fridge for up to four days in an airtight container.
- For a less spicy version, use less of the habanero. Don’t forget to also remove all the seeds and veins.
- Serve jollof rice with fried plantains, stewed goat, roast chicken, oxtails, or short ribs. It is absolutely perfect to serve with these dishes. Each bite is magical. You can see why it has existed for many centuries.
Recipe Help
The word “jollof” comes from the language of the Wolof people, originally meaning “one pot”. I learned in my research that apparently the Wolof people were a predominant race that operated a powerful empire between 1360 and 1549. Before their downfall, the Wolof succeeded in spreading their culture, including their beloved Jollof rice. Wolof people still exist in present-day Mali in West Africa. Today, jollof rice is eaten all over West Africa in Mali, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, and Cameroon. Each grain of rice is laced with the heritage of wherever it’s prepared, and its irresistible taste is relished all over Africa.
No rivalry is bigger than between Nigeria and Ghana. They each offer a unique interpretation that is slightly different but both are sensational.
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I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
More Rice Recipes
- Jambalaya Skillet
- Mexican Rice
- Lemon Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Dirty Rice
- Savannah Red Rice
- Jamaican Rice and Peas
- Red Beans and Rice
- Spanish Chicken and Rice
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
This post was originally published August 2018. It has been updated with new content and images.
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So excited to make this dish! We have a Social Studies project on African Culture and we’re going to do a video while we make this! We’ve seen the other reviews, and it must be really good! Thank you so much.
Hope you girls liked it!
Do you wash the rice?
This recipe came out PERFECTLY DELICIOUS! One omission from the description – It’s even better on the second day. I made the recipe for 6 servings and ate it each and every day.
I made the rice with oxtails.
That sounds fantastic. So excited you enjoyed it.
Sorry but ive made this recipe twice now and both times the rice comes out crunchy. Its not done… i do not understand. I was praying that it came out Delicious but it was hard… recipe followed. Have to find another recipe. Just posting an honest comment.
Hi Danielle, I am sorry to hear that, what type of rice did you use? Was it basmati? Did you let it rest for the 10 minutes? If you used another long grain white rice it would most likely not be cooked in time.
This recipe finnaly gave me flavor and taste. Best Jollorice ever,.
Me and my dad made it.
Yay!! So happy to hear that, Bella!!