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Party Jollof Rice
Party Jollof Rice is a traditional Nigerian recipe for a classic version of jollof rice cooked in a tomato, chilli and meat stock base and which is typically served to accompany meat. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Nigerian version of: Party Jollof Rice.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
40 minutes
Total Time:
60 minutes
Serves:
6
Rating: 
Tags : Chilli RecipesSpice RecipesNigeria Recipes
This is what most people think of as the ‘classic’ Nigerian jollof rice; rice cooked in a tomato and chilli base with bell peppers and which is served to accompany meat. This is the jollof rice made for parties and it’s a vegetarian (it does contain butter) served as an accompaniment to roast chicken portions or barbecued fish and accompanied by fried plantains. It’s not exactly how my wife would cook hers, but I did get the recipe from an olopo (caterer). Note that you can make this version vegetarian by replacing the stock cubes and stock for vegetarian options.
Ingredients:
850g (4 Cups) Easy-cook Rice
3 Large/4 Medium Red Romano Bell Peppers (Tatashe)
1/2 tin (200g) of Plum Tomatoes/2 Medium-Sized fresh Tomatoes
1 1/2 Scotch Bonnet (Ata Rodo) chillies
500ml (2 cups) Beef or Chicken Stock
120g (1/2 cup) Tomato puree
2 Onions, cooked
6 tbsp Cooking oil
2 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Minced Ginger
1/2 tsp Curry powder
½ tsp dried Thyme
1/2 tsp any seasoning of your choosing (iru and Cameroonian pepper)
3 Knorr Chicken stock cubes
2 tsp White pepper
3 Bay Leaves
1 Medium Size Tomato, sliced (to Garnishing)
1 small red onion, sliced into rings
Sea salt to Taste
Method:
Combine the red bell peppers, tomatoes, scotch bonnet and 1 onion in a blender to a smooth paste and set aside.
Add the cooking oil to a large pot, place over medium heat, add half a sliced onion and let it fry until fragrant (about 3 minutes). Pour in the blended paste, tomato paste, knorr stock cubes, curry powder, one teaspoon of white pepper and bay leaves, cover and let it fry until the oil begins to float to the top (about 15 to 20 minutes).
While this mixture’s frying, wash your rice thoroughly to rid it of starch and set aside. If you’re choosing to parboil your rice, parboil for 5-8 minutes with little water over low heat. The rice should still be very firm and not soft. Wash with warm water and set aside.
When oil floats to the top of your frying mixture, add the chicken/meat stock, cover and let it fry for a further 8-10 minutes then stir in the washed rice.
(It’s better to transfer the rice into another big pot, then add the stew so you can control the amount of stew that goes in to avoid making the rice too wet. Combine thoroughly, ensure the stew is only about a 1cm (1/2 in) above the level of the rice when combined (it’s better to start with too little liquid and add more as you go).
When everything is fully combined, add the butter, the minced ginger, the remaining teaspoon of white pepper, the thyme and your choice of spices and combine. Cover and let the mixture cook until the rice softens. Do stir every now and then with a wooden spoon; this prevents clumps and doesn’t break the rice up.
Add little bits of stock or water as you go, so the rice does not dry out, but be careful not to add too much. Jollof rice needs steam to cook and not boil in water; don’t be alarmed if/when the rice starts to burn; it will definitely burn a little, this is what gives the dish its much-loved smoky flavour.
When the rice is tender, add the onion rings and sliced tomato and stir. The onions and tomatoes should be added just a couple of minutes before the dish is finally done.
Give everything a final stir to ensure the ingredients are well combined, then switch off the heat, ensure the lid is on securely then allow the ingredients to finish heating from the steam in the pot.
Serve.
