Jollof Rice

I've been dying to make Jollof Rice for months. But it's hard to find the "right" recipe for this. It's a Nigerian dish and there are certain steps that must happen. 

Finally, on TikTok, I came across one that seemed to have all the right steps, and the comments confirmed it! Tons of Nigerians were delighted by it, so I wrote that bad boy down. 

The original recipe makes 9 cups of finished rice, so I cut it in half for the recipe below. This still makes 5 cups, so feel free to cut it half again. 

Enjoy!

Jollof Rice: 

1/2 onion chopped fine

2 tbls oil (I used evoo) 

6 oz tomato paste

1 red bell pepper, coarse chopped

1/2  15-oz can of diced tomatoes

1 1/2 onion, coarse chopped

1 small habeñero (sub out for milder, or eliminate if you don't like heat)

2 Maggi cubes (or one large one) (Find them in the Latino section)

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tbls Curry powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder (or measure with your heart)

1/2 tsp thyme

1 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 tbls salt

2 1/4 cup rinsed rice

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Use a large pot if your doing the full recipe!

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-- Cook fine chopped onion in oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add tomato paste, cook for 10, stir often to avoid burning.

-- blend (in a blender or by stick blender) bell pepper, spicy pepper of choice, coarse chopped onion and diced tomato until smooth. 

--add to pot with onions 

--add maggi, all spices, stir together and simmer for 30 minutes

--add salt and chicken broth, simmer about 10 minutes

-- add rice and about 2 cups of water. (The water should be above the rice slurry, about 1/4")

--layer aluminum foil over the top.of the pot and cover with lid. Cook about 30 to 40 minutes on a low boil. Stir once or twice.

Check out more pictures on IG