Jollof is a typical West African rice dish prepared with a sauce made out of habaneros (also called capo peppers), tomatoes, garlic, curry, onion, and other spices. Everything is placed in a blender and mixed into a delicious hot sauce.
Given its popularity, the dish is widely known across the African continent. It is worth mentioning that Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal claim the creation of this popular dish. Likewise, this dish is trendy in other countries such as Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Mali, Cameroon, and the Gambia.
You can perfectly enjoy Jollof rice with chicken wings, thighs, or any other piece of meat. You can also give it a sweeter touch by adding a few slices of fried plantain, known in the Yoruba language as dodo.
The Senegalese version of this dish is made with fried fish. In Ghana, Jollof rice usually has a spicy touch due to the addition of a sauce made with hot peppers and hard-boiled eggs.
Meanwhile, Jollof has a smoked flavor in Nigeria, as it is traditionally prepared outdoors on firewood or charcoal. The water evaporates, and the rice takes on a darker shade.
If you like it spicy, you can add some sriracha sauce. This will not only enhance the spicy flavor but will also look beautiful on your plate.
If you want to try African cuisine, Jollof is an excellent option! You can easily do so by following the below instructions!
OVEN-BAKED JOLLOF RICE
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Ginger paste
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Red onion finely chopped
- 5 ounces Tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper pureed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cubes Chicken bouillon
- 1 ½ cups Basmati rice unrinsed
- 1 teaspoon Curry powder
- 1 cup Chicken broth
- 3 Carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 Green bell pepper deseed and sliced
- ½ cup Frozen peas thawed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C.
- Fill a baking sheet with water and place the sheet in the lower rack of the oven to create steam in the oven while you prepare the rice.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat and sauté the ginger, garlic, and onion for about 5 minutes or until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato purée, cayenne pepper, and scotch bonnet peppers.
- Cook until the tomato paste is no longer sweet (approx. 8 minutes) while frequently stirring to prevent burning.
- Season with salt, black pepper, and chicken bouillon.
- Wash the rice thoroughly with water, 2 to 3 times until all starch comes out.
- Stir the rice and curry powder into the tomato sauce until adequately covered in the sauce.
- Cover the pot and cook under low heat for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to incorporate while occasionally stirring to prevent burning.
- Transfer everything to an ovenproof pan and add the chicken broth, carrots and peas.
- Cover it with aluminium foil and put it in the middle rack of the oven.
- Cook for 1 1/2 hour or until the rice is fully cooked and dry.
- Take it out, and season with salt to taste.
- Serve the rice with grilled chicken, fish, pork, or beef.
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