The Best Nigerian JOLLOF RICE (the secrets…)

It’s been almost a month since my mom arrived and I am already feeling an immense sense of relief. I meant it when I said living abroad will literally humble you. The first thing my mom had when she landed was a bowl of my smackingly delicious Nigerian jollof rice. Click here if you want to go straight to the recipe.

I come from a country where we exist communally, so, even if you don’t have a maid at your service, you are likely to have a few family members willing to stick around when you need help. Especially when significant occurrences take place such as having a new baby, or being sick.

Even if you have yet to cook or taste this popular delicacy, you would have heard of it and wondered why it is such a big deal. Truth is, it is Nigeria’s national dish, I just found that out, I had no idea. There are different types of jollof rice in Africa, such as the Ghanaian Jollof, Thieboudienne (Senegalese Jollof) or the Benachin by the Gambian people.

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While the process of making these types of jollof rice may seem similar, the taste in the end is different, and this is a result of a few tweaks and tricks.

First, let me share the top 5 secrets to a delicious and rich pot of Nigerian jollof rice. Every step is important when cooking this popular Nigerian dish and one mistake could actually affect its overall quality.

Other delicious recipes to try!

The 5 Secret Ingredients for Making Nigerian Jollof Rice

1. Rice

I cannot overemphasize the need for quality long-grain rice, preferably the parboiled kind. There are loads of good brands out there and can be bought at your local store. I use Uncle Ben’s long grain rice, I have found it can withstand steam and still keep its form when done. No matter the rice you use, you must rinse the rice in warm water a couple of times to get rid of the excess starch. This will keep it from ending up mushy after cooking.

2. The Sauce Base

This is pretty much what gives the Nigerian Jollof Rice that bright red and saucy colour. It is a mixture of tomato paste, red bell peppers, onion, garlic, ginger and scotch bonnets (optional). To get the best results; first, you want to use the right amount of tomato paste, adding too little or too much can affect the overall outcome, then you want to select only the very red peppers when grocery shopping as this will enrich the colour too. I will list the quantities I use below.

3. Spices

If you are not big on using spices, then this might sound too much for you. Nigerians love to spice up their jollof rice with some curry, dry thyme, paprika, bay leaves, oregano, basil, please feel free to add anything else according to your taste.

4. Broth

I know I mentioned spices right above, but what I didn’t mention is that most of the seasoning and spices go into the beef or chicken broth, which means, you really should refrain from using store-bought broth for this recipe. Cooking a few chicken or beef pieces before cooking the jollof rice allows you to season and spice it up as you so desire. I add ginger and garlic to the broth to enhance the flavour.

5. Heat & Steam

The heat variations when cooking jollof rice matter a great deal. This is because the readiness of jollof rice is highly dependent on steam and not the amount of water added. After covering the Jollof rice with foil (to keep the steam locked in), reduce the heat to low and leave it alone. When you check on the texture of the rice and it is not soft enough to your liking, cover tightly and leave to steam further. The steam is all that is needed to soften the rice. When ready, you can cook on high heat for a few minutes to infuse that smokey flavour jollof rice is known for.

Optional Secret

This is completely optional. Back in Nigeria, there is a signature aroma that jollof rice served at a party has, it stems from the deliberate burning of the rice and the use of firewood in the open-air cooking process. This is the exact smokiness that is used to describe Jollof Rice. Living in Canada, without being able to engage in open-air firewood cooking, liquid smoke did the trick. We still allow the burning to happen, as that seals in the smoky effect.

Jollof Rice can be paired with my delicious Homemade Peri Peri Chicken Wings, How to Make Chicken Fajitas (30-minute Recipe) or How to Make Nigerian Fish Pepper Soup

Now you know the 5 secrets, let’s delve into the recipe!

Nigerian Jollof Rice

Nigerian Jollof Rice is an aromatic and smoky pot of parboiled rice cooked slowly in a delicious pepper base served with your favourite choice of protein.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Nigerian

Servings 5

Calories 258 kcal

Ingredients

  

*Blended Pepper Mix*

• 1 large onion
• 6 red bell peppers
• 2 scotch bonnets
• ginger
• garlic

*Jollof Rice (other ingredients)*

• 5 cups long grain parboiled rice
• 312 ml tomato paste
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• Chicken bouillon
• 4-6 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp dry thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp dry basil
• salt to taste
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp liquid smoke optional

Instructions

 

• Add oil into a large pan or skillet, when hot, toss in chopped onion and garlic and fry till mildly caramelized.
• Add in tomato paste, fry for 10 min on medium heat making sure to continue stirring so it does not burn.
• When colour of the tomato paste turns bright red, add in the blended pepper mix and continue frying for 15 min.
• Season the pepper mix with salt, chicken bouillon, curry, oregano, thyme and basil. Add in the bay leaves and liquid smoke if applicable, keep frying for another 10 mins.
• Wash long grain rice a minimum of 3 times to get rid of the starch, drain and set aside.
• Add in chicken broth to the pepper mix, when it has come to a boil, add in the washed rice, combine well and cover to cook on low heat for 45 mins. Cover with foil before the pot lid to lock in the steam.
• When the texture of the rice is according to your liking and you have adjusted seasoning, fluff the rice softly before going in with the unsalted butter.
• Leave the pot of rice slightly open and let sit for 5-10 mins before serving.

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Notes

• Jollof rice can be paired with any protein of choice or sides like plantain, salad etc.

• Chicken broth can be substituted with water, this will mean amping up the seasoning of the pepper mix.

• Traditionally, jollof rice is allowed to burn a little as this will enhance its smokiness.

Keyword How to Make Nigerian Jollof Rice, Nigerian Jollof Rice