Jollof Rice Recipe
A one-pot West African comfort food featuring bold, tomato-simmered heat and fluffy grains ready in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 2 cups long-grain parboiled rice or basmati/jasmine for fragrance
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil sunflower or light olive oil works great
- 1 large red onion diced (Vidalia if you like sweet notes)
- 3 cloves garlic minced (fresh for best flavor)
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger grated (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
- 2 large tomatoes chopped (or 1 can 14 oz crushed tomatoes)
- 2 red bell peppers seeded and roughly chopped
- 1-2 scotch bonnet peppers minced (sub jalapeño for milder heat)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste look for Hunt’s or Contadina for depth
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or veggie broth homemade is ideal
- 1 tsp smoked paprika adds that subtle char flavor
- 1 tsp dried thyme fresh leaves if you have them
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 scallions sliced (for garnish)
- 8 oz cooked chicken, shrimp, or tofu cubes optional protein
Instructions
- Warm the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. You want a gentle shimmer—too hot and your onions brown too fast.
- Add diced onion, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Stir for 3–4 minutes until soft and fragrant—listen for that gentle sizzle.
- Toss in chopped tomatoes, red bell peppers, and scotch bonnet. Stir in tomato paste. Cook 5 minutes, smashing some pieces with your spoon to release juices.
- Sprinkle in smoked paprika, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir everything so the spices coat the veggies—inhale that toasty aroma.
- Pour in the rinsed rice, stirring well so each grain glistens with the pepper-tomato mixture. Then pour broth. Give it one final stir, scraping up any flavorful bits stuck to the pot.
- Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover snugly and let cook 20–25 minutes—no peeking, so the steam does its magic.
- Turn off heat and leave covered for another 5 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff rice with a fork, and fold in cooked protein if using.
- Scatter sliced scallions over the top. Grab a big spoonful and enjoy that spicy-sweet bite of Tomatoes and Peppers melding with fluffy rice.
Notes
For extra depth, brown a few chorizo slices or smoked beef before aromatics—it’s a little twist I picked up from a Lagos friend. If your mixture looks too dry before it’s cooked, add up to 1/4 cup more broth; every pot’s heat transfer differs.