Rice Dish Jollof Recipe

Prepare and Blend

Roughly chop the canned or fresh tomatoes if needed. In a blender, combine the tomatoes, red bell pepper, scotch bonnet (remove seeds if you prefer milder heat), and the medium chopped onion. Blend to a smooth or slightly coarse purée, about 30–45 seconds. Set aside.

Extract Excess Liquid (optional)

If your tomato mixture is extremely watery, pour it into a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bowl and let it drain for 10–15 minutes or gently press with the back of a spoon to remove excess water. Reserve the drained liquid to adjust cooking liquid later if desired.

Fry the Paste and Sauce

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the tomato paste and fry, stirring constantly, for 6–8 minutes until it darkens to a rusty red and loses its raw taste (this reduces acidity and adds depth).

Cook the Purée

Carefully add the blended tomato-pepper purée to the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 12–18 minutes to concentrate flavors and reduce rawness. If the sauce splatters, use a splatter guard or lower the heat.

After the sauce has thickened slightly and reduced, push it to one side of the pot and add the minced garlic and grated ginger to the oil on the cleared side. Fry briefly for 30–45 seconds until fragrant, then stir everything together.

Add the bay leaves, thyme, smoked paprika, curry powder, bouillon cube (crumble it), salt, and black pepper. Stir well and simmer another 4–6 minutes so the spices bloom and integrate into the sauce.

Rinse the rice in cold water until the rinse runs mostly clear to remove excess surface starch; drain thoroughly. This prevents clumping and helps the grains remain separate.

Add the rinsed rice to the pot and stir gently to coat every grain with the sauce for 2–3 minutes. Toasting the rice briefly in the sauce adds flavor.

Pour in the chicken broth and the additional cup of water (use reserved tomato liquid here if you saved any, subtracting it from the water). Stir once to combine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Taste the liquid for seasoning and adjust salt if necessary.

Bring the pot to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low to maintain a very gentle simmer. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook undisturbed for 18–22 minutes, or until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Do not lift the lid frequently.

If after the cooking time the rice is still firmer than you like and liquid is fully absorbed, add up to 1/4 cup more hot water, cover, and continue to steam on the lowest heat for another 4–6 minutes.

Five minutes before the end of the rice's cooking time, scatter the diced carrots and peas evenly over the top of the rice (do not stir). Replace the lid and allow the steam to soften the vegetables and finish cooking the rice.

If using cooked chicken pieces or shrimp, nestle them gently into the rice during this last 5 minutes to heat through and absorb some sauce flavor. For shrimp, add only if pre-cooked or partially cooked to avoid overcooking.

When the rice is done, remove the pot from heat and let it rest, covered, for 5–10 minutes to allow the steam to finish cooking and to firm up the grains.

Remove the bay leaves. Add the butter and chopped parsley or cilantro to the hot rice. Using a fork, gently fluff the rice from the edges inward to combine the vegetables and protein evenly without mashing the grains.

Taste and adjust seasoning (salt/pepper) as needed. Serve hot with fried plantains, coleslaw, or a simple cucumber-tomato salad, and lemon wedges on the side if desired.