“What if I told you thatJollof is a state of mind?” As a Nigerian, “Jollof”is astate of mind. To a Nigerian, it means sweetness, happiness, joy
Jollof rice is said to have originated from the Wolof tribe in Senegal, it was a great empire which was divided into parts of the Gambia.
Now in the whole of Africa, different countries celebrate this dish in their own way. Each country has their different technique with which they cook the perfectJollof rice. I have seen the Ghanaian style and the Nigerian style (which I have spent the year perfecting). There is this untold battle between Nigerians and Ghanaians on whose jollof rice is better. The Ghanians tend to have a softer and mushier rice; while the Nigerians enjoy their version steamed, a little dry and in single grains. I did taste some Ethiopian style jollof rice made with broken rice. It had the color and looked delicious, but it was mushy and had no maggi? No way! And they used perfumed rice for it…All I could taste was the smell…Don’t ask abeg*eye roll…Ikeep readingabout the untold battle between Nigerians and Ghanaians on who makes the bestJollof rice. Oh puhlease!There is no battle…it’s quite unnecessary when we already know thatthere’s no doubt that Nigerians make the best Jollof rice (go andargue with your emotions please:) )
I remember when Jamie Oliver made his version. There was the war of theJollofs with a hashtag #jollofgate. Poor guy was told off by both Nigerians and Ghanaians. As in Nigerians and Ghanaians united and fought theJollof fight. Or was it when Tesco made their adaptation and posted the recipe on their website? Someone said “no tomato in that rice!” lwkmd, you do not mess with ourJollof rice.
When it comes to seasonings and ingredients for jollof rice, the basics aretomatoes, tomato paste, meats, spices such as; nutmeg, garlic and ginger. You may also add vegetables to your mix. The wahala Jamie caused was when he added parsley and no “maggi” to his adaptation. There was an uproar especially over the lack of maggi in his recipe. Like who does that? Poor guy
In every wedding and celebration in Nigeria, there is almost always Jollof rice on the menu. Nigerians do eat a lot of rice, we can eat rice at our homes and still go to a party the same day and eat Jollof rice; especially when it comes to partyJollof. Hey! There is nothing absolutely wrong with it!
Some things you must get right when you want to cookJollof rice is getting the right kind of long grain rice and taking the time to fry the stew; then steaming the rice until you get the right consistency/bite. You can be a good cook, in fact you can be Chef Mario Batali, but if you do not know how to cook jollof rice; just “gerrout” of the kitchen and get the stepping.
I once visited a friend and his twin brother and I took some food with me. Among the bowls I took was a bowl of Jollof rice. They could not wait to taste it and of course when they did, they gave me their seal of approval. Listen, it meant a lot to me. I was so relieved because Nigerians do not play with theirJollof. I recently made some for my uncles, but I first had to feed my ajebutters and their friends; whose parents are from Ghana and Ivory coast respectively. They were so happy eating and “hmming” away.Since then they never eatJollof rice from anyone else. I remember one of them said to me “aunty, I have some snacks in my snack pack, but I’d rather eat yourJollof rice.” Hian see these children oh 🙂
Apart from being a state of mind, Jollof rice is likened to an amazing personality and a life style. We use languages like “Jollof boy ” meaning ahappy boy or a sumptuous woman.
To my jollof rice, I add spices like ginger, cloves and garlic. Yes some will say it’s heresy, but you have got to try it not to knock it. So here with all our different love and interpretation of Jollof rice, I dont see anyone, any tribe and any country as its sole owner. Though you literally haven’t lived until you have had a bowl of Nigerian Jollof. Get your life ife pain you 🙂
Below are a few tips to making the perfect Jollof rice
*Type of rice:
Usually any long grain or Basmati would do. Just make sure it’s properly washed clean anddrained of all liquids. If makingJollof risotto; then a shortergrain can be used.
*liquids:
I always use slightly morewarm to hot meat stock or watercompared to my rice. For exampleif I’m making 3 cups of Jollof rice, I opt for about 31/2 cups of stock/water. I usually bring it to a boil; then cover with a grocery bag or foil and a tight lidto steam on medium to low heat. Steaming, and the amount of heat used matters a great deal. Jollof rice cooks perfectlywith steam. During the days when I was teaching myself to cook Jollof rice, I usually would just boil it and I kept having to add morewater each time as it dried out; until I learnt the act of steaming and it saved my life and time. Also,the use of meat stock is paramount, but you could always make your rice with water and the right amount of spices.
*Seasonings and spices
Cooking Jollof rice with the right spices and cooking the spices correctly counts for a good foundation. Some of the spices I use arecloves, thyme, curry, smoked paprika, bay leaves, black pepper and white pepper.The secret is to fry these spices in the oil for about a minutebefore adding your onion and tomatoes puree. The frying helps to release the flavors of the spices. Give it a try and please let us know how it goes
*Color
Okay, a lot of people do this differently. Some use tomato paste and bell peppers to get the right color. Recently, I have been using fresh tomatoes and bell peppers only. There’s nothing wrong with using tomato paste. Using fresh tomatoes and bell peppers have just always been an alternate preference. Patience also plays a big part in the color. It takes time to get the right consistency ofthe friedstew for Jollof rice.After frying your stew, it should look a little dark and dry before adding your rice to the mix.
*Texture
Errm I cannot stress it any more than I do already. Your rice should not come out dripping with water or stew. Aldente is everything! It shouldn’t be too soft nor should it be hard. (Somewhere in between). If your rice is too hard, you could add a little morehot water or stock. Do not cook your rice with cold stock or cool water! You want the liquid to meet with therice and heat up quickly as opposed to taking its good time to heat up when it’s poured in cold; therefore, causing too much burning. If your rice has too much water, pour itinto a widetray and stuff it into the oven on high heat(350 degrees)to dry it out. If not , you could use 9jafoodie’s pot method.
*Butter
This right here is the Glory of Jollof rice. You could add it at the beginning or at the end. It gives it a glistening color and silky feel
Any Jollof questions? Please feel free to ask in the comments 🙂
images; google
