Nigerian Jollof Rice Recipe | A Step by Step Guide

Dear lovers of Jollof rice, I am here for you, as I will be taking you through a smooth and easy way how to make your Jollof rice more delicious.

Jollof rice is a dish from West Africa that is typically made with long-grain rice or any rice of your choice, tomatoes, chilies, onions, spices, and sometimes other vegetables.

It can be served alongside with protein of your choice, although its ingredients and preparation methods vary across different regions.

For the particular recipe, I will be showing you how to specifically make an award-winning Nigerian party Jollof.

How to Cook Jollof Rice

The majority of West African nations often cook different meals using rice, and Nigerian jollof rice is just one of many delicious varieties.

The rice known as Jollof is mostly eaten in countries like Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria. This recipe for jollof rice is likely a combination of so many different interpretations due to its many variations.

It’s very important to have a flavor base while preparing Jollof rice. If you decide to throw all of your ingredients into the pot quickly, you’ll end up making a concoction instead of Jollof rice.

So try as much as you can to follow each step of his recipe thoroughly because each one is important. I can attest that the uniqueness, in addition to its flavor and taste, is what makes Jollof rice so delightful.

From regular Jollof to party Jollof, and from the new preferred basmati Jollof, and more. The majority of home cooks use this recipe since it is more popular and regular.

There are persistent arguments about which part of West Africa makes the best jollof rice. After trying this recipe, you will decide which jollof rice is the best from its delicious aroma and taste.

Ingredient Used for Nigerian Jollof Rice

The ingredients that will be needed for making this jollof rice are not new; you may have them in your kitchen already.

1. Three cups of rice (I’m not using basmati rice)

2. Chicken (or any other protein of your choice)

3. 500ml Fresh tomatoes

4. Two tbsp tomato paste

5. Half a Teaspoon of Curry powder

6. Half teaspoon Thyme

7. Half teaspoon Nutmeg powder

8. Two Seasoning cubes

9. One Clove of garlic

10. One Finger of ginger

11. One cup of sliced onions (You can use half for the size of this rice)

12. 200ml Vegetable

13. Salt to taste

14. Peppers [scotch bonnet peppers (habanero peppers), fresh pepper, bell pepper (optional)]

I5. Chicken stock and Water as needed.

16. Bay Leaves

Steps to Prepare Nigerian Jollof Rice

The recipe for jollof rice can be customized in many ways to suit your tastes and preferences. You can choose to add any of your favorite vegetables that I haven’t mentioned here.

Make it more delicious and garnished according to your taste like the addition of diced carrots, green beans, sweet peas, or sweet corn, etc.

Follow the steps below to make your delicious Nigerian Jollof Rice:

Step 1

Before you start your cooking, make sure that all utensils and equipment you are using are properly washed and cleaned, because obviously, we are what we eat. So, hygiene is very important when it comes to what we are eating.

Step 2

After washing your utensils and equipment, go ahead to wash your chicken or any other protein you are using. For me, I am using chicken for this particular recipe.

After washing season it with salt, seasoning cube, curry, thyme onions, and Ginger, mix it and cook for 10-15 minutes. Extract the stock and set it aside.

Step 3

Blend your fresh tomatoes, red peppers, scotch bonnet pepper, ginger, and garlic in a food processor, and make sure it’s properly blended. Empty it and set it aside.

Step 4

Parboil your rice for about 3 minutes (for me I wash my rice once before parboiling it). After 3mins sieve wash and set aside.

Step 5

In a clean dry pot pour in your vegetables add onions, and allow the aroma to prove itself before adding your chicken to deep fry. If you are using an air fryer, then you are free to skip this step.

Step 6

After frying your chicken (if the oil is too much please reduce it) go in with your onions and stir for 2 minutes, then add salt with the blended tomatoes and peppers. I love cooking my jollof rice with the oil I use for frying the protein.

Step 7

After frying the blended tomatoes for 10 minutes add the tomato paste and fry for an additional 10 minutes and keep stirring to avoid it being burnt. Fry until the tomatoes turn dark.

Steps 8

After 20 minutes, turn the heat down to medium, add the chicken stock, add all your seasonings, and mix well. Continue to boil for 5 more minutes.

Step 9

After 5 minutes add your parboiled rice and mix well. You can add water if the stock is not enough to cook the rice. Add the bay leaves, cover the pot, and cook on medium to low heat till the rice is almost dry.

Step 10

Cover the rice with foil alongside the lid till it completely dries up, and then turn off the heat, mix thoroughly, and your Nigerian Jollof rice is ready to be served. You can side it with plantain and coleslaw.

Other Foods Recipes to Try;

After eating this particular jollof rice I hope the answer to which country has the best jollof rice has been answered.

Nigerian Jollof Rice Recipe | A Step-by-Step Guide