Dinner · West African
Classic Jollof Rice
Smoky, deeply savoury party rice with every grain separate.
- Prep
- 20 mins
- Cook
- 50 mins
- Total
- 1 hr 10 mins
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
Jollof rice is the dish people argue about most and cook most often, and both of those things are for good reason. It is built on a simple idea: cook a pepper and tomato base until it is thick and sweet, then let rice absorb every bit of it.
The two things that separate good jollof from great jollof are patience with the base and restraint with the liquid. Fry the blended peppers longer than feels necessary, then add less stock than you think you need. That is the whole secret.
Instructions
-
Blend the tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet and roughly chopped onion until completely smooth. You should have roughly 750ml of puree.
-
Pour the blended mixture into a wide saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, uncovered, until it reduces by about a third and loses its raw, sharp smell. Set aside.
-
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4 minutes until soft and translucent.
-
Stir in the tomato paste and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens to a deep brick red and starts to stick slightly to the pot. This step builds the colour.
-
Add the reduced pepper puree, curry powder, thyme, bay leaves, smoked paprika and salt. Fry over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the oil separates and floats to the surface. Do not rush this — it is where the flavour comes from.
Fry the pepper base until the oil separates and floats to the top. -
Add the rinsed rice and stir until every grain is coated in the red base and glossy with oil.
Coat every grain in the base before any stock goes in. -
Pour in the warm stock, stir once, and bring to a boil. Taste the liquid now and adjust the salt — this is your last easy chance.
-
Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pot tightly with foil and then the lid, and steam for 25 to 30 minutes without lifting the lid.
-
Uncover, fluff gently with a fork from the bottom up, and let it sit off the heat for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, top with sliced onion and parsley, and serve.
Tips from our kitchen
- Use parboiled long-grain rice rather than basmati or jasmine. It holds its shape through the long steam instead of turning soft.
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. The loose surface starch is what makes jollof clump.
- For the smoky note people chase, leave the pot on a slightly higher heat for the last 3 minutes so the bottom layer lightly toasts, then stir it through.
- If the rice is still firm but the pot is dry, sprinkle over 60ml of hot water, re-cover and steam for another 5 minutes.
- Leftovers reheat well with a splash of water, covered, over low heat.
