Oven-baked Jollof Rice is a modern Nigerian recipe for a classic jollof rice of rice cooked in a tomato and bell pepper base with curry powder that's oven baked rather than being cooked on the stove top. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Nigerian version of: Oven-baked Jollof Rice.
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This is by no means a traditional method of preparing jollof rice, but it’s becoming an increasingly common cooking method as it’s pretty foolproof. I’ve seed several versions on the internet, but this is a method that my wife and I developed for our own cooking. Since then I’ve also adapted the recipe for an air fryer (though noted I have a large deep air fryer which will hold a 22cm diameter dish) and I presents the variations needed to cook jollof rice in an air fryer here.
Ingredients:
For the stew base:
4 medium vine tomatoes, halved and deseeded
1 red bell pepper, cut into large chunks
1 onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 red scotch bonnet chilli, stem removed
1 tbsp vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
15g fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tsp fine sea salt
For the jollof rice:
600g parboiled long-grain rice or high-quality basmati rice (e.g. Golden Sella Basmati Rice)
150ml vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
1 onion, finely chopped
60g double concentrated tomato purée
1 tbsp curry powder (I use Durban masala for its heat and red colour, but use whichever you prefer)
1 tbsp jollof seasoning
1 tsp smoked paprika (for the smoky flavour)
1 tbsp dried thyme
3 chicken or vegetable stock cubes
2 dried bay leaves
600ml boiling water
100g liver, finely diced and fried until crispy on the outside (optional, but my wife always adds it)
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 220℃ (200℃ fan/180℃ air fryer).
Combine the tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion and scotch bonnet chilli in a medium-sized cast iron casserole (Dutch oven) or roasting tin (for the air fryer I used a large cake tin). Add the vegetable oil and toss to coat. Transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven and roast for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and lightly charred around the edges.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. At this point reduce the oven temperature to 180℃ (160℃ fan/150℃ air fryer).
Turn the cooled roasted vegetables into a blender. Add the chopped ginger and salt then pulse to chop before blitzing until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.
Set the rice in a colander and thoroughly wash under cold, running, water until the water runs clear. Set aside to drain (be thorough here as you really do need to remove as much of the excess starch form the rice as possible [parboiled rice will have less starch than raw rice]) as it’s this step that ensures the rice grains remain separate after cooking]).
Heat the oil in a large cast iron casserole (Dutch oven) set over medium heat (I have one that fits snugly in my air fryer). Add the onion and fry, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to brown around the edges (about 6–8 minutes).
Add in the tomato purée, stirring until it has blended into the oil. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the tomato mixture begins to darken (about 5 minutes).
Add the blended stew base mixture, stir to combine then partially cover the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the oil separates from the stew base (about 5 minutes).
Scatter over the curry powder, jollof seasoning mix, smoked paprika and dried thyme and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute for the spices to bloom. At this stage crumble in the stock cubes then add the bay leaves and pour in the water. Whisk well to dissolve the stock cubes.
Add the washed and drained rice, stirring to combine so the rice becomes coated in the stock mixture. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking (you want the mixture to be well seasoned).
Stir through the fried liver, if using, then bring the ingredients to a boil. As soon as the mixture begins to bubble add 50ml water, cover with a lid and transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven. Note that if you don’t have a flame-proof casserole you can use a roasting tin or even a deep cake tin, covering with foil before setting in your oven or air fryer.
Bake for 45 minutes then remove from the oven and set aside, covered, to steam in its own residual heat for 15 minutes so the rice can finish cooking.
Remove and discard the bay leaves, fluff up the rice, turn into a warmed serving dish and serve accompanied by your choice of grilled meat or fish and fried plantains.
