Festive Jollof Rice

Tis the season to be jolly….. or in West Africa, this is the season for jollof rice!! Jollof Rice started off as a festive dish to be served mainly at parties, weddings and the choicest of all, at Christmas. In fact the word Jollof is now popularly used to denote enjoyment or having fun for example  ‘we are jollofing’

Jollof Rice or Jollof is a Rice dish in which the Rice is cooked with a blend of tomatoes, onions and chilli pepper. While the base is fairly mainstream, there are as many varieties of jollof as there are chefs. There is no standard recipe and tastes differ according to the portions of the blend, the spices, the oils and the type of rice. While the Nigerian Jollof is made mainly with long grain rice which comes out as non- stick grains, the Ghanaians would typically use the basmati or the thai jasmine rice leading to a stickier version of the jollof rice. There is even a variety known as the party jollof in which you can taste and smell the smokiness of the firewood over which it has been slow cooked.

Jollof is eaten all over West Africa and it is believed that it originated from the Wollof tribe in the Senegambia. Most of the claim is attributed however to the similar sound of the names, the Wollof and Jollof. Today the dish is most popular in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Cameroun.

EazyNaijaFoods offers a Ready Stew which makes a fantastic base for the jollof rice with the authentic taste of organically grown tomatoes. There are two varieties of Ready Stew the hotter, Hot Pot and the less spicy ‘Mild’  variety to suit all tastes.

Make Jollof Rice using Ready Stew

Ingredients

• 1 250g Sachet Ready Stew
• Easy Cook Rice (1 cup/130grams)
• 1 table spoon Tomato Paste
• Hot Water (2 cups/ 450 ml)
• 1 stock cube
• Bay leaves or Mixed Herbs
• Salt to taste

 Method

• Pour Ready Stew into pot and allow to heat up for about 1 minute.
• Add 1 table spoon Tomato paste and stir in
• Add stock cube, pinch of seasoning and pinch of salt.
• Stir in the rice until the sauce and rice are properly mixed.
• Add 1 and a half cup of water and bring to the boil.
• Once boiled, turn down heat to the lowest level and allow rice to steam for 30mins.
• After 30mins, stir rice properly and taste.
• If rice is still hard, add the rest of the water and allow to steam for 10 more minutes.
• If no water is added, allow rice steam for 5 more minutes.

Serve Jollof rice with meat chicken or fish and/or steamed vegetables or a side salad.