Jollof Rice (with basmati rice)
Jollof Rice (with basmati rice)If you are not new to this blog, I am sure you already know I am a huge fan of basmati rice. They cook faster, look better and are more flavorful. Here is a SIMPLE jollof rice recipe that can be prepared on any budget; the recipe is especially dedicated to all the bachelors and students, for that time of the year when you are low on cash but still want to eat a fancy meal.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup pure Groundnut oil *
- ¼ of a large onion (sliced)
- 1 small can tomato paste (150ml)*
- 2 cubes magi
- ½ teaspoon each (Thyme, curry, chilli powder)
- Salt – to taste
- 4 bay leaves
- 2.5 cups basmati rice
- Sheet of foil
*substitute vegetable oil
*I made use of tomato paste alone in this recipe. You may choose a more traditional base which will involve blending 1 large tomato, 2 bell pepper and half a medium onion. Use in place of tomato paste and follow all other directions as explained.
Directions:
1) Place a pot with a tight fitting lead on medium heat, add in the oil. Heat up the oil, add in the chopped onions and bay leave. Stir-fry until onion is translucent and fragrant .
2) Add in the tomato paste , cover and leave to fry for 3-5 minutes, stir occasionally. Add in the maggi, thyme, curry, chilli powder and salt. Combine
3) Add in 2.5 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil.
4) Reduce the heat to medium-low (2.5 – 3). Add in the rice. Cover the pot with the foil and then the lid. (It’s extremely important that the pot is well covered so as to infuse each grain of rice)
5) Leave to cook (on low-medium heat) for 25 minutes.
6) Remove the pot from heat, the rice should looks as pictured below. Combine. If the texture of rice isn’t to your liking at this point, simply cover the pot tightly for another 6 – 10 minutes (there is no need to return the pot back to the heat, the retained heat is enough to continue to cook the rice). Otherwise the rice is ready to serve.
Remove the bay leafs and Serve jollof rice with your choice of protein. I recently fell in love with Jollof rice and eggs, it is the best combination.
Jollof Rice – Basmati
I made my first Jollof rice ever using your recipe and it was a winner😍😍😍😍. i’m making it again today
Hello. If using stew base instead of the tomato paste, what’s the quantity please?
Such a well detailed recipe. Kudos
Wow! I discovered the recipe this morning and have just made this with little expectation as all the Jollof recipes I’ve tried previously just haven’t worked. I don’t usually leave reviews but this was so so good that I had too! Followed the recipe with the exception of adding Chipotle chille flakes and it’s the best Jollof I’ve ever tasted. It’s my go to from now on. I let it sit for a few more minutes off the heat and the rice turned out beautifully. Served with St Claude wings and coleslaw. Delicious. Thank you for such a great recipe.
Thank you so much for this! exactly what I needed
God bless you for this!
I love this article. Growing up in Ghana this is exactly how it is made. My grandma and aunts used to make it every other day. No tomatoes, just tomato puree, blended onions with very little ginger and garlic, and finally curry powder! In Ghana they use long grain basmati or jasmin rice as you have suggested instead of the parboiled rice commonly used in Nigeria. Thank you for taking me back to Ghana and for bringing back fond memories of my grandma. Good job!
:) You Comment is re-shaking the table of GHANA VS NIGERIA JOLLOF RICE.
I have to say THANK YOU !
I tried the recipe ( was a tiny bit sceptical about the curry powder but added it anyway ) and used Thai jasmine rice instead.
Oh my dayz it came out sooooo good !
Can’t wait for my husband to come back from work.
A big thank you guuurl, you rock !
Thanks alot for this.. My rice tasted so good and the color gave me life. Only problem I had was that some grains were hard and others soft so I was stumped on whether to add water but I just left it and it was still a hit. I’ll try to figure out what caused that next time.
you are welcome! make sure all the rice is submerged in liquid and dont stir while it’s cooking.
Will do.. Was also making it on a large scale (sallah party) for the first time so I expect I’ll learn with practice. Thanks once again ❤️
Ronke!!
You’ve gotten this recipe down to a science, it’s foolproof!
Tried this last weekend and it was a hit, and again this morning ‘cos I wanted to be sure it wasn’t a fluke. It worked!
Thanks loads 😘😘😘😘
You are welcome! thanks for the feedback.
Hey
So I tried jollof rice once it turned out okay this recipe my husband loooved it I’m so happy!! And by the way I’ve tried it efo, egusi and all turned out amazing!! My jollof rice gonna last few days for Ramadan thank you again!
yeiiii! thanks for the great feedback.
I made this yesterday and it’s fantastic. Subbed curry and chili powder with just hot curry powder, and left out the bay leaves. Added mixed frozen vegetables. Wow! Thank you.
Hi Christine,
I’m dancing for you here!
Thanks…this is real helpful
Hello Ronke
Where have you been all my life! I have tried about 4 of your recipes and they are so yummy! Wow! Even my husband gave me compliments and was boasting about the okro and spinach to his friends. Now I just made this Jollof rice now and it’s the best Jollof I have ever made! I used a brand of golden sellable basmati but parboiled it for 5mins and used 3 cups of water and it was perrrrfffeeccccttttt! Downloaded it with the oven baked chicken marinated with yoghurt. Thanks you so much. Next try is efo riro.
Aww that’s awesome, thanks for the feedback.
Thank you for this recipe, I just tried it out and it turned out really well. I’m in shocked to be honest, I usually pray before I cook something I’m not familiar with. I’m incredibly pleased with the result.
Awww really happy for you! thanks for the feedback.
AKA Ghana jellof!!!
Here we go again
O my lawd! I just tried this recipe with basmati and everything came out on point! Nothing missing nothing lacking! Thanks so much aunty Ronke, you are a gem!
if i want to make it with parboiled long grain rice, how many cups of rice should i use & what other things in the recipe do i need to alternate, like (timing, water, etc)?
Hello Madame Ronke I made the Jollof rice today using 2.5 cups of parboiled rice. Following the instructions I saw in comments I used 3.5 cups of water versus 2.5. When I removed the lid it was identical to your picture and the texture was nice so I stirred it as you directed. I moved too quickly not realizing the base of the pot was scorched. Is that normal? Should I have added more water? I made certain the fire was not at 3 but 2.5 as you instructed. The rice taste good but unfortunately there are a few hard pieces of rice :(
were there uncovered grains when you added in the rice?
No all the rice was covered. The hard rice came from the bottom of the pan. If I had not stirred the rice in the end everything would have been ok. I am wondering if maybe the parboiled rice does not need to be cooked as long?
Hard from being burnt?
Hi Ronke. Thanks for this fab recipe. I have one question please: your recipe for 2 cups of rice calls for 2 tomatoes, 2 bell peppers, 1 onion and 2 tablespoons of puree. If I use a tin of chopped plum tomatoes (400g) instead of the 2 fresh tomatoes, would I need to adjust the quantiy of the bell pepper, onions and puree?
Hi! I think 200g of plum tomatoes should do for the recipe.
Hi Ronke, thanks for this. I tried it and was really looking forward to it but I’m afraid mine didn’t turn out quite right… There was way too much tomato paste when though I used the amount required, maybe a little less even. I didn’t use basmati rice though, since I didn’t have any. I used normal short grain rice from the market. Could that have affected it? And how can I improve it?
Are you sure you used the right size of paste? what brand did you use?
Yes. I measured it. It was about 130/140 ml. I used Gino paste. I tried it again with only half of the paste and it came out much better.
Awesome. It’s definitely the brand consistency. I use this recipe all the time.
if i want to make 4 cups of rice, i add 4 cups of water? can I replace the water with chicken/beef stock? noticed you did not mention that
You may be on the wrong blog :)
Ronke :), this is the 9jafoodie blog. yes, rice to water ratio is right, you can use stock.
Hi Ronke 😀. My name is Izzy. I am African American and I want to thank you for sharing your recipe. I just finished preparing the rice and it is on the stove covered with the foil as I speak. I am fasting right now and my senses are heightened and I must say this is the best smelling aroma I have ever experienced. Toi bad I can’t try it but I’m sure my girls will love it. I look forward to making this a part of our lives as I am learning to embrace the African side of me. God bless you and thank you so much.
Best regards to you,
Izzy
Thank you so much for the feedback!!
Hi! I love this recipe!! After years of trying to perfect it and basically making spanish type rice I was so happy to find this works! Maybe I’ve eaten it too much because now I need a diet :) Is it possible to get good results with less oil?
I am glad you like the recipe. Yes, it can be made with less oil.
Hello dear,can I use normal rice they sell at our naija market?
Parboiled rice? you sure can.
I would like a substitute for maggi cubes since they are very unhealthy. suggestions?
I am also looking for an alternative, I will let you know as soon as I find one.
Hello again! I am going to try this recipe tomorrow however my husband prefers long grain rice- what tips can you give me for cooking this with par boiled rice? How much extra water would I need if using long grain par-boiled rice for the recipe? Any tips on getting the par-boiling correct as I have only tried it once? Many thanks for your wonderful advice!
Hello Andrea – Jollof is best cooked with steam. I would suggest 2.5 cups of rice to 3.5 cups of water maximum. Follow every other thing as detailed above. Good luck and keep me posted.
How do I make this more spicy without making it too hot? How many scotch bonnets or chilli powder teaspoons?
1/2 – 1 teaspoon.
Thank you so much 9jafoodie! I literally followed this recipe to the T and it came out amazing. I had tried hundreds of time to make jollof rice and it never came out how I wanted. But this recipe, 5 stars! So easy to follow!
awwwww that’s such amazing feedback. thank you!!
Hi Ronke,
Thank you for the tip. I wanted to know if you have ever used Jasmine rice to cook jellof. If so what is the difference in time? How can you avoid the extra mushiness in Jasmine rice?
Hi Edo, I haven’t used Jasmine rice, my concern is that the rice will cook too fast and there wont be enough time for it to absorb all the flavors required for a well cooked Jollof. I would approach it similar to this recipe but with 1 cup rice to 2/3 cup water. 15-20 minutes of cooking should suffice.
Hi Ronke! I tried the recipe. The flavor turned out amazing however there were parts of my rice not cooked. For example majority of my basmati rice was cooked but I believe there were maybe 40 grains not completely cooked and you can taste it when you eat it. It’s like a little hard. I’m not sure what went wrong. I even let the pot with the aluminum foil covered so the steam can cook it for additional 30 minutes still no change. Could it be the rice that I bought? I went to the Indian store and they recommended either Tilda or Zebra. But they said Zebra Basmati aged rice was the best and that’s what I bought. Any suggestions for me?
it’s definitely the batch of rice you got. Next time, soak the basmati rice in cool water for about 30-40 minutes before cooking. I find that helps when I have a not so great batch of rice.
If I triple the recipe, will 3 cans of tomato paste be too much? Thanks
I just made this for lunch. It came out awesome. Looked good, tasted better. Thank You !
great! thanks for the feedback.
Hi, nice work u hav going on. Please can u help me convert d cups to mls. Thanks
Thanks. 1 cup = 250ml
Jollof rice and egg? Okay, that I have to try. Thanks for sharing this recipe. :-)
You are welcome. you will be pleasantly surprised.
Nice one here, new to the site cos i am trying my hands on diff naija foods esp since i am yoruba and i want to learn foods frm diff tribes…well done naijafoodie
thanks much. do try a few recipes and let us know how they turn out.
so would I use 2.5 cups of long grain rice with 4.5 cups of water for this recipe, if replacing the basmati rice?
I think that would be way too much water. I will do 2.5 cups rice to 3 cps water with parboiled rice. Steam is the key to good jollof, rice will soften with adequate steam.
If I was going to use long grain rice instead of basmati, what would the ratio be? & also, would my long rain rice need to be parboiled ahead?
1 cup rice to 1.25 parts liquid maximum, if substituting parboiled rice in this recipe I would only increase water by a maximum of 1 cup. rice will soften with adequate steam. No, you do not have to precook the rice. Just wash and add into the prepared sauce.
Can I use Salsa tomato paste which is quite a popular brand in Ghana. Is par boiling tomato supposed to make it taste better n not have dat raw taste. Heard adding shrimps to tomato sauce removes the rawness. True?
You can use any brand of paste you fancy. yes, tartness is reduced by prolong cooking. I haven’t tried the shrimp trick yet.
So no tomatoes?
Not in this recipe, I only use tomato paste. However you can use blended tomatoes if you prefer, just make sure it’s parboiled.
Can I use other rice .
yes. parboiled rice works as well.
Ronke you are a life saver! My first try didn’t quite come out like yours but it is still good nevertheless…
That’s awesome to hear! do let me know if you need any clarification.
So I have a question for you. I’m making this tonight but I’m using a brand of basmati rice my aunty uses. I honestly cannot remember the name but it looks parboiled however, it is just basmati rice. Everytime she uses it to cook, it turns out extremely well and other prewash it and cook it like parboiled but it’s not parboiled. They sell it at superstore in Canada and the Indian market. I’m scared it will turn out weird if I use it. What are your thoughts? Please help! lol
Pls what kind of Basmati rice do you use?
I typically use lal qilla brand.
Im suprised you dont add stock. Does it still taste the same without the stock?
im going to try this recipe this weekend. Jollof rice is so difficult to make for me and I just gave up after many disappointments and wasted money and food. The ingredients seem simple and the recipe has appropriate quantities. I am excited! Thank you for your generosity and for answering questions. I do plan on making the stew recipe (as I just saw it on your instagram) never thought of roasting! My bf likes to add cayenne pepper (a spicy stew) what quantity of cayenne pepper would you recommend for your recipe (if you would use cayenne that is :) ) Thanks again!
Please do try it and let us know how it turns out. Cayenne pepper will not be needed if you are using chilli or scotch bonnet peppers. However, you can add it into the stew if that’s your preferred source of heat.
If i was to use stew instead of tomato paste, how many red bell peppers and onions & etc do i use?
For thesame amount of rice, you need about 2 cooking spoons of stew base. Pepper/tomato/ onion mix ratio can be found here :
When i apply the stew base, should i still apply tomato paste so that the jollof rice can have color. If so, how much tomato paste should i add in?
This was awesome!!! My three boys and husband destroyed it within seconds and have been begging for more. Thanks sooooooooo….. much for sharing. This Jamaican girl appreciates you. Been trying to master jollof rice for years and actually gave up trying. You’re awesome!!
Awwwww… this is amazing feedback, thanks for taking the time.
Hello foodie, I tried to make this 2 days ago but parts of the rice was not cooked through. I think I washed it before putting it into the sauce mix. could that have been the problem?
you most likely didn’t cover the pot well. It’s critical when you prepare jollof that all the steam stays in the pot. Washing the rice prior is fine.
okay, I’ll try that tomorrow and let you know how it goes, thank you very much.
You are most welcome. Do keep me posted
Hi ronke,just want to thank you so much for this delicious recipe. I’ve made it many times and it’s cooking now. My newly wedded husband is nigerian and I’m just a little white American girl hahah, without you I would have been hopeless! Excited to try your other recipes as well. Thank you for keeping this rice simple and affordable, with no cut on taste. Much love, God bless xx
Yeiiiii!! I am very happy to hear that Nikki.
Wooow….nice,my husband is joining me frm naija in couple of days. Can’t wait to spoil him wid this.
Hello. I’m new to Basmati rice n I just fell in love with it. What’s the ideal time to cook it and does cooking time vary per dish ie jollof, coconut, fried or plain? In addition how does one ‘poach’ eggs?
Is there a way to give it leas of a sharp taste? I did it again and the colour and texture was perfect. But I felt it had too much of a sharp tomato paste taste. Can I mix the tomato paste with crayfish when I am adding the curry and other spices?
Also, I didn’t have thyme when I was cooking so did without it. Would it have made a big difference with it?
Did you fry the tomato paste as suggested in the recipe? Might be the product. Yes, crayfish will definitely work. Lack of thyme isn’t a Nono but it makes a difference.
Thanks for the responses. Yeah. I fried it for 3 mins the first time and 5 mins the second time I did this recipe. Both times still sharp. Maybe the product as you are saying.
Concerned the crayfish will leave a powdery texture on the rice but will try it and see.
You can try frying the tomato for longer.
People swear by green pepper with jollof. Do you agree and at what stage do you add it?
i need to cook jollyof rice without frying oil
… please guide me
Just two cups of rice and getsha
i need to cook jollyof ricce without fry oil… please guide me
You said one small can of tomato paste but it looks like a large can in the pic. My tomato paste comes in sachets so could you pls tell me in grams how much tomato paste that is?sorry I have so many questions. I really want to get this right.
You will need about 162.6grams for this recipe.
Oh. I didnt see your response early. I used 280g! It is on the fire. Will just hope for the best. I also didnt have thyme or curry so I just put it with nutmeg. :( I will try it again with 162.5g and thyme and curry if this turns out awful.
I can cook a lot of things well but jollof had somehow always evaded me. Not this time with your recipe.
The rice came out looking amazing. Looked like something from a cookbook.
I couldn’t believe this came out of my own kitchen.Not soggy, just right…in single grains. That has been my biggest problem all along so I was glad to see that this recipe works. I was skeptical at first like the others… but after seeing the number of positive reviews… I had to try it.
The taste was another story but that is understandable since I didn’t use thyme or curry and also used twice as much tomato paste as I should have. Those are all easily correctable and I cant wait to try this again.
Want to try your other recipes too.
Great! Thanks for the feedback.
I read the post that referred me to this recipe. Something about also adding butter. I dont think I see it here in this recipe. Do you add butter to this recipe? Some people were swearing by it. What are your thoughts on that?
Adding butter to Jollof is actually a great way to elevate the flavour profile.. simply add some butter just before you take the jollof off the heat.
I really just want to be sure regarding the tomato paste and puree. So you really dont use any real tomato or tomato sauce for this jollof? The pasye as in the thick one that has that sharp taste? Ican never make great jollof so I am embarassed. I want to fix this. Will try this weekend.
Yes I used tomato paste and not fresh tomatoes. you can always use fresh blended tomato/pepper combination though… it will only enhance the dish.
I am so in love with this recipe and use it often. I tried it with brown basmati rice, and unfortunately, the rice just didn’t cook well. I cooked it for an additional 20 -30 minutes before the rice texture was edible. Any suggestions for a better result? I think brown basmati just has a crunchy texture, even when fully cooked. Have you tried the recipe with jasmine rice?
hi Abi… let me start off by saying the texture of brown rice is nothing like white rice no matter how much you cook it. That said, check out our brown rice jollof recipe here : https://www.9jafoodie.com/2013/11/brown-rice-jollof/ It should help. Happy cooking!!
I just tried the recipe but i used perfumed long grain rice and it turned out great.
Thanks for sharing 9jafoodie
You are welcome
Great recpie !!! Every time is coming the same perfect and tasty can’t wait when my husband will come back and i will serve him this delicious rice!! In future im planing to try the couscose recpie! Thanks a lot!!
This came out really well. My cousin had three rounds! It might be a good idea to mix the tomato paste with some water before frying, just to minimise the chance of burning. Excellent recipe though
That’s great to hear!
This looks absolutely amazing:) and how is it possible to get straight long cooked basmati rice?? It will be great if you can tell which brand u have used!
I used 404 brand but the secret it to cook on minimum heat
Hi. Please, please share your recipe for brown jollof rice! I have tried to make this with brown basmati twice and ended up with crunchy rice each time. Your recipe is perfect for white basmati – I have made it many times without any problems, but I would really like to do it with brown rice. Can you help a sister out?
Here is our brown rice Jollof recipe : https://www.9jafoodie.com/2013/11/brown-rice-jollof/
Hello there! This is my first visait to your blog!
We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche.
Your blog provided us beneficial information
to work on. You have done a marvellous job!
Just made this today, and it turned out absolutely beautiful. I ran out of basmati rice at home and I’m trying to eat healthier so I decided to use regular (medium-grain) brown rice (I pre-soaked the rice for an hour first). I also added some frozen veggies when I added the rice to the sauce. I wasn’t sure how the recipe would work with brown rice, because as you know, brown rice has a totally different texture from basmati, but it came out so great – delicious. I just left it on the heat for about 15 extra minutes. Thanks for another straightforward and excellent recipe!
WHoop!!! WE are super happy to hear that.
I’m soo happy I stumbled on this website
the recipe is so straight forward and straight to the point and simply put
I’ve looked all around the net for a simple recipe
there was a tutorial on you tube that said we should use 2 tin tomatoes etc.. and the quantities were all WRONG and in the end my food came out slushy and soft and nasty and i could taste too much thyme.. :/
With this recipe the quantities are on point etc.. e.g. 2.5 cups of water , 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, curry
my rice came out really nice
im soo happy that i know how to make jollof rice :)
Awwww…. we are glad the recipe worked great for you Sarah. please share with your family and friends.
Oh and thank u dear! Too hungry to think lol
you are welcome
Correct!!!!! I can do this one easy! I’m washing pot as I type
How did it turn out?
Thanks a lot for the recipe.i’m a student & i’ve been looking for a way to cook jollof rice with a low budget,i’m trying it right now & i hope it turns out well.Pls wats d local name for basmati rice in Nigeria.
Hi Toyin, Basmati does not have a local name as it is not grown in Nigeria. it’s refereed to as basmati all over.
Hi Ronke, I’m cooking this for my girlfriend tomorrow, she’s English so Im hoping she enjoys it but anyway I was wondering about the rice because basmati is really different from long grain, do I have to parboil the basmati rice ? Many thanks, Jay x
Hi! you don’t have to parboil the rice first. Simply increase water by 1/2 cup and allow the rice for cook for 10 minutes longer.
Ps let me know if one can use canned chopped tomato juice in place of tomato paste for jollof rice if not where can i find canned tomato paste by unico
Hello Patricia, a better substitute is tomato puree. you will have to blend the chopped tomatoes if that is all you have.
Noo it’s raw rice oo…how it comes out like rice and stew surprises us…maybe it’s the heat as you said.the hob we use has 1-6 level of heat. And we cook on 4…is dat too high
Please try the recipe above and I am sure you will have success with it like all the other people have. appropriate heat is a little above 2 in the stove setting you mentioned.
Or better still rice mixed with stew that had water added..something like that sha
Pls oonaijafoodie help us out..anytime my friend cooks jollof rice always looks like rice cooked in a sauce…same recipe oo..but never has that red colour…wat re we doing wrong oo
Is your friend using this particular recipe? What you have described sounds like what one get when they parboil rice prior and use the wrong level of heat. Let me know.
Wow, this jollof rice turned out lovely, so pleased :)
Happy to hear that!
Fish Jollof Rice
Cooking Ingredients:
1. 2 lbs fresh fish
2. 2 cups of vegetable oil
3. 6 cups of water
4. 1 medium fresh tomato
5. 4 tbsp tomato paste
6. 2 large onions
7. 1 small cabbage
8. 2 medium carrots
9. 1 bay leaf
10. 4 cups of rice
11. Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Method:
1. Clean and cut fish in halves.
2. Fry the fish in the vegetable oil until both sides are brown.
3. Remove fish and add onions, fresh tomato and paste to the hot oil and fry until brown.
4. Pour water and bring to boil, then include cabbage, carrots, bay leaf, add seasonings, reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins.
5. Remove vegetables and add the rice while continuously stirring.
6. Reduce heat and cover the pot. Simmer for 10 mins.
• Benachin is sometimes referred to as cheebu / chebu jen in Senegalese.
Beef & Chicken Jollof Rice
Ingredients:
1. ½ lb beef
2. ½ chicken
3. 4 tomatoes
4. 1 large bitter tomato (jaxatu / jahatu)
5. Vinegar
6. ½ small cabbage
7. 3 cloves of garlic
8. ½ large egg plant “mock tomato”
9 3 dry bay leaves
10. 4 large onions
11. Salt
12. 2 peppers
13. ¼ small pumpkin
Method:
1. Wash and cut the meat into portions. Mix together and season with black pepper, salt, vinegar and pounded garlic. Leave to stand for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
2. Prepare vegetables by slicing into portions.
3. Peel, wash and thinly slice the onions.
4. Wash and skin the tomatoes.
5. Fry poultry in pan of hot oil until golden brown all over then remove and put aside.
6. Fry the beef and leave in cooking pot.
7. Fry the onions until brown, insert scalded and skinned tomatoes, cook & stir occasionally until it is a pulpy consistency.
8. Add tomato puree and pounded peppers, cook gently for quarter of an hour.
9. Add half cup of water mixed with ®Maggie Cubes, bring to a rapid boil and place the prepared vegetables, bay leaves, fried chicken, and salt to the pot of meat.
10. Cook for approximately 20 minutes.
11. Take out the vegetables and chicken when cooked and place in oven on a low heat. Leave the beef in pot and cook for a further 20 minutes until tender.
12. Place the washed rice to the pot, add sliced peppers and bring rapidly to boil.
13. Reduce the heat and cook for 25 minutes on a low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is well cooked.
14. Serve the Jollof Rice on a large platter, place vegetables and meats on the side
Great receipt !!
I fell in love with Jollof rice after eating a takeaway from a Ghanaian restaurant. I thought it would be complicated, but this is delicious and extremely easy. Thanks!
We are glad you enjoyed the recipe.
i will really love to try this recipe at home soon, please what is the local name for Basmati rice in Nigeria and please how many calorie is in this meal.
wow, i was sceptical at first but i must say i followed the intructions to the T and my jollof came out perfect.
i am not a rice person, but when i do eat it, i only eat basmati and it sometimes gets a bit bland..i had always wanted to learn how to cook jollof rice and your receipe was bang on. i omitted a few things like curry, thyme and bay leaves. yummy…..i have had two plates already and i still cant believe i cooked this master piece! Thanks 9jafoodie… :)
Is the tomatoe paste the same as tomatoe purée??? Please let me know I wanna make this Tomo… Te recipe above will serve how many?
Yes it is. 2-3 people
I am cooking the rice on low heat and will see how it turns out. Making the chicken piri. So far not looking like picture. But it sure smells good.
How did it go?
yum yum!!!!! am in love wt jellof rice. i feel like leaving office now to go prepare one for d family.
Lol… we are glad you love it.
I am making the chicken Piri and this jollof rice. I hope my children like it I am headed to the store in 30 mins. ….. from Waxhaw, NC USA Thank you so much now i can try all the nigerian dishes I was too strongheaded to watch my wonderful mama cook…
Thank you for this easy recipe. Very tasty. I have tried many of your recipes and my husband likes all of them. Keep up the good work!
yeiiii!! we are happy to hear that
hi can I perboil basmati rice ist before using it?
No, you shouldn’t.
My mum makes jollof rice with only basmati rice. I have not tried it. I’m still trying to learn how to cook white rice with basmati without over or under cooking. Basmati jollof does taste lovelyyy <3
Ebin pami. *runs to kitche*
kitchen**
lol…. hi Ani, you should try our recipe… ko le rara…
Wow.. Me love dis jollof rice. Thank u very much u are an angel
whoop! you are most welcome.
Hi, I luv ur recipe for Jollof…my only problem is my fear of the foil seeping into the rice…how about putting it on the outside instead…also, you advice not stirring the rice, but Jollof is well known for its tendency to burn because of the sauce…could you please comment on this? Thanks a bunch…
You definitely can put the foil over the lid instead, it works. The reason why jollof burns easily is because of the high heat level most people use, if you use a good non-stick pan and minimal heat; the rice will not burn.
Could I substitute Olive oil for vegetable oil and brown basmati rice for normal basmati rice?
you can substitute olive oil for sure. Brown basmati is a bit trickier to cook as it takes longer and the texture can get weird fast. I will advice you start with white basmati and graduate to brown once you master the white.
Umm do I hav to parboil the basmati?
No you dont
Yayh my jollof rice came out excellent..wud post the rice to you to testify…lol
Thanks soo much for your advice
this is great!!!! I shall await the rice in the mail
Used this method of cooking jollof rice today. Excellent results. Thanks
This is good!!’m glad the recipe worked for you… please share with your family and friends.
Also in this post you advise the rice should be cooked on minimum heat. I use a cooker that has a knob 1-6. so does that mean i should cook the rice on 3 or 4.
I will say the heat setting of 2 at the most.
9ja foodie, ur recipes help a bunch. I know this is late but just found this recipe. my problem with jollof rice is that when i add my rice to the sauce and cook for a while, the sauce is soaked up by the rice and still isnt well cooked. and so I add water…and then by the time i end up cooking, the rice is tasteless. jollof rice is just a long thing for me..pls could you suggest ways I could correct this.
Hi dear…. you have to let Jollof be, you don’t have to keep opening it and adding water. Make sure there is enough water in your sauce before you add the rice, once the rice is in cover the pot and leave it alone; trust me the rice will cook just fine. Try the above recipe and let me know how it goes.
I just made this and it came out awesome!!! After much trial and error to find a good jollof rice recipe! Thanks a bunch!!
WHoop!!!!! that is great to hear…… you are most welcome.
Finally, a written jollof recipe that works! This is delicious! And I love using basmati to make it. I have made this nearly once a week for the past month and it has never failed to please and impress my family and guests. I must disclose that I doubled the spices (thyme, chili, curry powder), but other than that the recipe is perfect. Thank you.
This is really good to hear, thank you so much for sharing your experience with us.
wow i am so gonna try this i am Kenyan and Basmati is our rice of choice so perfect for me thanks for the recipe
Let us know how you like it! Happy cooking.
looks really gd n tasty too. looks easy to prepare too
Indeed Achile…
What a great recipe – we are cooking ‘Olympic world foods’ at my place of work on wednesday. I have been placed in ‘team Africa’ I was not sure what to cook….now I know!! I am used to this type of rice dish but have never cooked Jollof. I will let you know how it turns out. :)
Yeiiiii!!! please let us know how it turns out. we hope you enjoy it.
Seriozly welldone on this site! i recently discovered it in my quest to tantalize my husband with mouth watering dishes and as i am one village girl that havent really been into cooking, i am learning o, lol. 1st my basmati rice doesnt turn out well cooked, how do i achieve the best in cooking basmati rice o? 2ndly, wetin be bay leaf? i.e what name do i ask for in the market?! i am definitely trying out this jollof with basmati today! 9ja foodie, my new kitchen team mate!
Thanks a lot. Basmati rice needs steam to cook, not lots of water. The first thing you must do is make sure your pot has a tight fitting lid/cover…for safe measures, i cover my pot with foil and then a lid, you want the steam to stay in the pot. The second tip is to cook the rice on low heat, this way your heat rises and it is well distributed. Bay leaf is simply called that, you can also ask for the leaf used in Jollof rice. Happy Cooking!! Please share the site with your family and friends and let us know about your cooking experience.
dearie thank u a zillion times over. i dropped a comment on ur efo riro cuisine, would u kindly let me know what d following items are called in our local markets? scotch bonnet, spinach and locust beans? also i suspect red bell pepper is our famous tatashe, expect my cooking experience quite shortly; many thanks
Scotch Bonnet = Ata Rodo , Spinach= Efo, Locust Beans = Iru. You are right! bell is tatashe… I am looking forward to your review.
Comment
Hi foodie,thanks a lot for the recipes,you are indeed awesome,i tried the moimoi and my girls are so excited,my daugther said “i love moimoi now mummy”and you know what your recipe is the secret,so am grateful.
I really dont know why i cant find basmati 404,hope i am checking in the right places but please any clues(supermarket) to where i could find it.
Keep up the good work,my kitchen and i love you loads,,,,,,,,thanks
AWWWWW.. Thanks Zannah, your comment brought a smile to my face. Keep enjoying the recipe and keep supporting us by sharing the site with your family and friends.
That particular brand of basmati is from Indian, they sell it at Indian store. The alternative is to look for basmati with description that says “Extra Fancy Long grain”
As a bachelor myself I have to attest that this is very doable. Thank you shakky for bringing it to our level. 9jafoodie groupie 4 life
Yeeiii!!!!
Gosh! you just made me hungry….nice recipe.
Thanks mam! You should try it :)
Hi!
I’m Kenyan and I have trying to master jollof rice for a couple of years now!!
FINALLY, I can see a proper recipe for it! I shall be trying it out this week =)
I see I’m not the only Kenyan who loves me some jollof rice :-)
Whoop!! cheers to all the Kenyan people in the house.
I’m new here. In love with the site already. But pls o what’s poached egg?
WELCOME to the family sumbyjay!! Egg poaching is simply a method of cooking egg…. here is a quick how to process http://www.wikihow.com/Poach-an-Egg
I love how you dedicated this recipe to students and bachelors. It definitely beats ramen noodles anyday.
I always thought Basmati rice would retain too much water and be too soggy for jollof rice. Here is living proof that I was wrong. This looks delicious, but I wouldn’t put the egg though :-( I like mine, well done. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks boo….. you are most welcome.
i dont see a per boiling stage on this like you’d normally do for long grain…does that mean you just wash the rice and mix with the stew ?
There is never any need to parboil rice used in Jollof. The more time the rice spends in the sauce, the better tasting the end result.
YUM!!!
Yum is right.. lol.
yummmy!!!
Thanks!!
This just literally made my mouth water. Lol. Mmmm. I love jollof with basmati, but i can only cook it with the easy cook basmati.
Easy cook Basmati? I have never heard of it *covers face in shame*…. what brand makes it?
They sell it over here in the UK in most supermarkets. I think it’s kind of a new thing. I only started noticing it in the stores a couple of years ago. Decided to give it a go. Never looked back since. Lol.
Thanks! I will look out for it.
This makes me hungry. I wish there was a machine I could use to skip all the steps and just get the final product.
HAHAH… You can invent the machine :D
Please when u invent the machine just copy me o
Hahah
U have come again……….
Yum yum
I’ll def try this
I use basmati for fried rice and curries but not jollof
Thanks again
PS – Hope you are well. I dont see much of you around so I assume work is hectic. Take care of yourself dearie xxxxxx
:D… YOU use basmati for fried? how do you do that? I always think i will overcook the rice. I am well thanks, yes… expect to see more of me for the rest of the summer :D