1
Reduce pepper base
Blend tomatoes, red peppers, scotch bonnets, and one onion. Boil down until thick and not watery.
Reduce base
30:00
Nigeria | Main dish
Jollof Rice
Nigerian party jollof rice cooked in a fried tomato-pepper base with stock, thyme, curry powder, bay leaves, and a smoky bottom.
Country
Nigeria
Region
West Africa
Time
95 min
Serves
6
Level
medium
Recipe overview
What to know before you cook
The sauce must fry until it tastes rounded before the rice enters. Tight cover, low heat, and a little bottom char bring the party flavor.
What the dish tastes like
Nigerian party jollof rice cooked in a fried tomato-pepper base with stock, thyme, curry powder, bay leaves, and a smoky bottom.
When to cook it
Best for Parties and celebrations, with a medium cooking level and about 95 minutes total.
What to serve alongside it
Fried plantain, chicken, beef, coleslaw, moin moin, or suya
Follow the collection
One-Pot Wonders is the easiest collection to explore after this dish. One-Pot Wonders
Regional lane
National party and street table. The foods that cross state lines: jollof, puff puff, pepper soup, boli, small chops, and shared celebration plates.
Chef watch-outs
- Adding too much liquid after the rice goes in.
- Stirring too often once the grains should be steaming.
- Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
How you know it is ready
- The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
- The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
- Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
Pantry lane
palm oil, crayfish, iru or ogiri, scotch bonnet, melon seed
Recipe photos
See the dish before you cook
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Chef board
Build the table around Jollof Rice
Fried plantain, chicken, beef, coleslaw, moin moin, or suya
Best route from here
National party and street table
Collections to keep cooking
How to cook it
Step-by-step method
Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.
6 steps
95 min total
medium
2
Fry stew
Heat oil, fry sliced onion, then add tomato paste and cook until darkened. Stir in the reduced pepper base.
Fry base
15:00
3
Season sauce
Add curry powder, thyme, bay leaves, ginger-garlic if using, seasoning cubes if using, salt, and pepper. Fry until oil rises.
Season sauce
10:00
4
Add rice
Stir in washed rice until every grain is coated. Add enough stock to sit just below or level with the rice.
5
Steam rice
Cover tightly with foil and a lid. Cook low until the rice is tender, then fluff from the bottom.
Steam jollof
40:00
6
Smoke bottom
Raise heat briefly at the end to toast the bottom lightly for party jollof flavor, then rest before serving.
Toast bottom
03:00
Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.