Nigerian Party Jollof: The King of Rice

A party starter

Jollof rice is one Nigerian meal that cuts across every tribe and ethnic group in the country, and among the different ways it may be cooked, "party jollof rice" stands out. It's cooked using large local cast iron pots called "koko-irin" which are placed on top of large chunks of firewood. The smoky heat from the charcoal adds a unique and unforgettable flavour that many people love.

Here are 3 steps for preparing it.

Buy the raw rice

Raw rice is sold in the markets: either in large bags or smaller quantities measured out. The bags come in 10kg, 25kg, and 50kg. Naturally, the size needed depends on how much is to be cooked.

Tomatoes: red and raw

Tomatoes give jollof rice its unique reddish colour. Fresh tomatoes are best used to prepare large quantities of jollof rice as they are cheaper than processed purees.

Scotch bonnet: a peppery partner

Along with tomatoes, scotch bonnet also contributes to the colour of the rice. But it also adds extra spice. The amount of pepper added depends on how much spice is needed.

Onions: an aromatic condiment

Onions are always useful additions to any dish. As they are one of the most widely used ingredients in cooking because of the luscious flavour, they should be part of the jollof mix.

Adding them all together

The tomatoes, scotch bonnet, and onions are washed and prepared to be pureed. The required portions of each of the ingredients are mixed together in a bowl of water.

All ingredients in...

The tomatoes, scotch bonnet, and onions are poured into the locally constructed blender that can effectively handle this relatively large quantity of food through a wide funnel.

...tomato-pepper mixture out!

While the intake is through a large funnel at the top of the machine, the output comes out of a pipe, below which is placed a bucket or bowl to receive the red paste.

Parboiling the pureed pepper paste

After blending, the paste is poured into the large cooking pot to be parboiled in preparation for mixing with the rice.

Seasoning for taste

While in the pot, the tomato-pepper mixture is seasoned with curry powder, thyme, seasoning cubes, and jollof rice spices.

Prepping the raw rice

Elsewhere, the raw rice is prepared for cooking. It can be washed and scrubbed by hand, with water, to remove all the dirt. The result should be whitish grains of rice ready for cooking.

Parboiling the rice

The rice is parboiled (pre-cooked) separately for a few minutes before adding to the tomoto-pepper puree in the main cooking pot.

Let the mixing begin

The parboiled rice is added to the stew and mixed thoroughly to ensure that the rice completely soaks in the tomato-pepper sauce and changes colour irreversibly.

A perfect chemistry

The rice comes together nicely, and the sweet aroma of the spices and the charcoal mixes beautifully to give the jollof rice its unique, delicious taste.

The rice softens

The rice is allowed to continue cooking till it reaches the desired softness. Jollof rice is not very soft, neither is it hard. It sits somewhere in-between very nicely.

Reddish, soft, and... delicious

After a while (and with the right amount of salt), the rice should have the right colour, texture, and taste.

Extra onion flavour

The cooked rice can be garnished with onions cut up as rings. This adds to the flavor of the rice but is only optional.

Stirred again

The onions are stirred into the jollof rice. Apart from the flavour, the onions help to absorb some of the moisture from the rice.

Let the party begin!

The delicious party jollof rice is transferred from the cooking pot into other containers such as food warmers from where they'll be heading straight to the party!

With fried chicken

Jollof rice is usually paired and enjoyed with fried chicken. Along with fried beef, this is probably the most classic way to take jollof rice.

Jollof rice and chicken – a winner!

Jollof rice is served in most restaurants and eateries in various forms. But chicken is arguably its most common accompaniment.

Bon appetit!