Nigerian Jollof Rice

Spiced and cooked in flavorful tomato and pepper purée, Nigerian jollof rice is a well-loved, classic West African versatile side dish that the whole family loves.

This yummy side dish easily becomes one-pot meal by adding chicken, similar to Bosnian-style one-pot chicken rice dinner. For a vegetarian version, add carrots, peas, and celery. Whichever way you make it, it provides a burst of flavor your whole family will love.

Jollof rice goes perfectly with Nigerian suya kebabs, the recipe I made a few days ago, but it would complement any meat. It’s savory and satisfying. Puréed vegetables flavor the rice but are not visible, thus making it a kid-friendly dish. Just adjust the spices for heat level.

In my quest to simplify recipes from around the world, I discovered that is quite easy cooking the globe. The base for all dishes is spices and herbs. Stock up on it and explore the culinary world from your own kitchen. It really is as simple as that.

You can have chicken and rice every day of the week but use different spices and you’ll have a new dish each time. Trust me on that. Compare the taste of this jollof and my djuvec rice as a proof.

For once, forget peanut butter and jelly and surrender to tongue-tingling flavors and explore cuisines diverse in variety and taste. Submerge fully into magical spices and titillating food experience. You will never look at food the same way.

Don’t know where to begin with new spices? Would a spice guide be helpful? Something like Spices 101? How about spices in small batches so you don’t have to buy a big jar of something you’ll only use once in a while? I’m here to help you simplify your time in the kitchen and still have an amazing cultural experience. Let me know!

You can quickly get familiar with popular spices by cuisine by downloading this list I shared in my newsletter (if you’re not subscribed yet).

To get you inspired, I also created an interactive Taste the Globe map with countries I cooked. Hope you’ll join me on a journey to taste the globe and we’ll explore new cuisines together. If you try any of the recipes yourself, I’d love to hear about it. Comment, email, share your picture on social media and tag #allthatsjas so I can easily find you. 🙂

Don’t forget to grab my favorite homemade spice blends recipes for free (just scroll to the bottom, right before the comment section) and start making your own global dishes. You can do it! Make this Nigerian-style rice first because I know you will love it, and then go from there. 😉

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Nigerian Jollof Rice Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4

• 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup oil
• ½ teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne (more if you like it hotter)
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups rice
• 1 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt

~ Free Tip ~ 

• Substitute cayenne pepper with African hot ground chili pepper.
• Add 1/2 small habanero or scotch bonnet pepper for some serious heat.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Purée the tomatoes, onions, and pepper in a food processor.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add spices and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rice, puréed vegetables, water, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to low; cover the pot and cook until rice is al dente, about 20-30 minutes (don’t overcook). If the rice seems a little dry, add ¼ cup water and cover, which will allow it to steam through.
4. Garnish the rice with cilantro or parsley before serving.

Print Recipe

Nigerian Jollof Rice

Spiced and cooked in flavorful tomato and pepper purée, Nigerian jollof rice is a well-loved, classic West African versatile side dish the whole family loves.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Nigerian

Servings: 4

Author: Jas

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper diced
• 1 onion roughly chopped
• ¼ cup oil
• ½ teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne more if you like it hotter
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 cups rice
• 1 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

• Purée the tomatoes, onions, and pepper in a food processor.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add spices and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rice, puréed vegetables, water, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low; cover the pot and cook until rice is al dente, about 20-30 minutes (don't overcook). If the rice seems a little dry, add ¼ cup water and cover, which will allow it to steam through.
• Garnish the rice with cilantro or parsley before serving.

RECIPE NOTES:

~ Free Tip ~

• Substitute cayenne pepper with African hot ground chili pepper.
• Add 1/2 small habanero or scotch bonnet pepper for some serious heat.

Tried this recipe?Snap a photo and mention @all_thats_jas or tag #allthatsjas on Instagram for a chance to be featured!

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Featured on: Eclectic Red Barn, The Cottage Market, and Fluster Buster.

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Jas

publisher and creative director at All that's Jas

Jas is a cheesecake addict and the author of Balkan Comfort Food cookbook available on Amazon. You can download a free excerpt of the book when you subscribe to All that's Jas newsletter updates or purchase the full version below. To learn more about Jas visit her About page.

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