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
2 cubes magi
½ teaspoon each (Thyme, curry, chilli powder)
1teaspoon salt *to taste
4 bay leaves
2.5 cups basmati rice
Sheet of foil
*substitute vegetable oil
Direction:
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. Fry until browned.
2) Add in the tomato paste, fry the onion and paste for 3mins. Add in the magi, thyme, curry, chilli powder and salt. Combine 3) Add in 2.5 cups of water and the bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil.
4) Reduce the heat to minimum. Add in the rice. Cover the pot with the foil and then the lid. (It’s extremely important that the pot is well covered as we are trying to infuse each grain of rice)
5) Leave to cook (on Minimum heat) for 35minute.
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 6mins (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 poached eggs, it is the best combination.
Jollof Rice with Poached Egg
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
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
Please when u invent the machine just copy me o
Hahah
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.
yummmy!!!
Thanks!!
YUM!!!
Yum is right.. lol.
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’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
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.
Gosh! you just made me hungry….nice recipe.
Thanks mam! You should try it
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!!!!
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”
Comment
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.
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.
looks really gd n tasty too. looks easy to prepare too
Indeed Achile…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Umm do I hav to parboil the basmati?
No you dont
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.
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.
Wow.. Me love dis jollof rice. Thank u very much u are an angel
whoop! you are most welcome.
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…
hi can I perboil basmati rice ist before using it?
No, you shouldn’t.
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
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…
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 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?
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
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…
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.
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.
Great receipt !!
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
Wow, this jollof rice turned out lovely, so pleased