A big batch of orange-red jollof rice, every grain separate and glossy, filling the frame

Nigerian Party Jollof Rice

Name: Nigerian Party Jollof Rice
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Nigeria
Ingredients: 3 red bell peppers (tatashe) seeded and roughly chopped; ½ can canned plum tomatoes (or 2 medium fresh tomatoes); 1 ½ scotch bonnet peppers (ata rodo); 1 onion roughly chopped; 100 ml vegetable oil; ½ onion sliced; 120 g tomato paste; 3 Knorr chicken stock cubes crumbled; 2.5 ml curry powder; 2.5 ml dried thyme; 2.5 ml any all-purpose seasoning you like; 5 ml ground white pepper; 3 leaves bay leaves; 500 ml beef or chicken stock; 1 l easy-cook (parboiled) long grain rice, washed; 30 ml butter; 15 ml fresh ginger minced; 5 ml ground white pepper; ½ onion sliced into rings; 1 medium tomato sliced; salt

Hana Novak Demo

Makes: 8 servings
Active: 35 min
Total: 1 h 30 min

3 Components · 5% Weighed

You’ll Need Blender, Large heavy pot with a tight lid, Wooden spoon

8 servings · 35 min active · 1 h 30 min total

3 Components · 5% Weighed

You’ll Need Blender, Large heavy pot with a tight lid, Wooden spoon

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Ingredients

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Grams Metric As Written US

Pepper Base

817 g

Jollof Stew

809 g

Jollof Rice

997 g

Contains: gluten, wheat, milk, celery. Based on ingredients. Does not account for cross contact.

Nutrition 557 kcal per serving

Nutrient	Per Serving	Per 100 g
Energy	557 kcal	170 kcal
Fat	16 g	5 g
of Which Saturated	4.1 g	1.2 g
Carbohydrate	92 g	28 g
of Which Sugars	7.9 g	2.4 g
Fibre	4.6 g	1.4 g
Protein	11 g	3.2 g
Sodium	161 mg	49 mg

Computed from the ingredients, 99% of the weight known. An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Pepper Base

Blend , , and to a smooth purée.

completely smooth, with no flecks of pepper skin

Jollof Stew

Heat in a large pot over medium heat, add and fry until fragrant.

the onion is soft and smells sweet
Add the blended pepper base with , , , , , and . Cover and fry, stirring now and then, until the oil floats to the top.

a layer of red oil floats on topthe colour deepens from bright red to deep orange-red
While the base fries, wash the rice for the next stage several times until the water runs almost clear, to rinse off the starch.
Once the oil has risen, add , cover and fry for more.

Cool and refrigerate the stew for up to 3 days.

Jollof Rice

Put in a second large pot and add the stew a ladle at a time, mixing, until the stew sits only about 1 cm (⅜ in) above the rice. Keep any leftover stew for topping up.

the rice is evenly coloured and only just covered
Stir in , and .
Cover tightly and cook over low heat until the rice softens, stirring every so often with a wooden spoon. Add small splashes of stock, water or reserved stew only when the pot looks dry. A little catching on the bottom is what gives the smoky party flavour.

grains tender but separate, not mushya faint smoky smell from the bottom of the pot
When the rice is almost done, add and , stir them through and season with .
Turn off the heat and leave covered to steam in its own heat for a minute or two before serving.

From Hana Novak

Party jollof gets its colour from tomato paste rather than lots of fresh tomato, its sweetness from red bell peppers, and its famous smoky taste from cooking the rice gently in very little liquid so the bottom catches slightly. Butter and white pepper stirred in with the rice give the rich, unmistakable party flavour.

Notes

Fry the pepper base well. It is ready when the oil rises to the top; under-fried base gives a sour, raw tomato taste.
Go easy on the liquid. The stew should sit only about 1 cm above the rice to start. Add small splashes of stock or water as it cooks; jollof cooks in steam, not water, and too much liquid makes it soggy. Combining the rice and stew in a second pot makes it easy to control how much stew goes in.
A little burning is good. A slightly scorched bottom gives party jollof its smoky flavour; keep the heat low and stir only with a wooden spoon so the grains do not break.
Rice: easy-cook (parboiled) long grain rice holds its shape best. This version starts from washed, uncooked rice; if you prefer to parboil it, cook it 5 to 8 minutes in a little water on low heat, rinse in warm water and use while still very firm.
Not too much tomato paste, or it overpowers the peppers and turns sharp.
Servings: the source gives no serving count; 4 cups of uncooked rice feeds about 8 as a main.

Storage

Keeps 3 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen. Cool it quickly and reheat until piping hot, with a splash of water.

Make Ahead

Blend and fry the pepper base up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate, or freeze it in batches.