Jollof (Nigeria)

5 servings
1 hours
Recipe Vibes
Meat
Spicy
Salty

Cooked on July 16, 2023.

My fifteenth recipe! Jollof is a very popular dish in West Africa, and is a tomato-based rice dish. It is very similar to Spanish paella, but with a lot more spices and flavor. It is a very popular dish in Nigeria, and is often served with chicken or beef.

Rating 7/10, the spices were not too overwhelming (I probably didn’t put enough), and the rice was very flavorful. I would definitely recommend this dish to anyone who wants to try something new and different!

Special equipment: food processor, Instant Pot

Preparation
1 vine-ripened tomato
1 green bell pepper
1 red onion

Blend these ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Set aside one cup.

Cooking
2 cups jasmine rice (or some other long grain rice)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mix (from above)
1 red onion (diced)
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth (from 2 cups chicken bouillon cubes)
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp ground thyme
1 tsp white pepper
1 vine-repened tomato (sliced)
0.5 tbsp kosher salt

Set instant pot to saute mode and add vegetable oil. Add chopped onions and tomato paste. Stir and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add in the blended mix, curry powder, thyme, white pepper, and salt. Stir and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Turn off saute mode. Wash rice until water runs clear. Add rice to the pot and stir to combine. Add sliced tomatoes on top.

Add chicken broth and stir to combine.

Set instant pot to “rice” mode. Cook until done, about 20 minutes in total.

After the instant pot depressurizes, open the lid and serve while hot!

Reflecting on this recipe, I think the white pepper is a bit dominating and needs to be toned down. A greater variety of spices such as more ground garlic to flavor the rice would be nicer. I also think that the rice was a bit too mushy, so I would probably use less chicken broth next time.

Preparation

Cooking