West African Cuisine - Jollof Rice

Jollof Rice is a food most tasteless in West Africa. Although many dispute its origins, most seem to believe that Senegal ought to take prestige for its creation. To the Western world, however, it could be compared to 'Spanish Rice' where white rice is boiled and added to flavorful stock to make a delicious meal. There are many distinct ways of making ready this dish, but this is a recipe, learned from my mother, and my popular by far. It will no doubt be a great addition to your supper menu.

Preparation Time: 1 hr and 30 mins

Hard Boiled Eggs Time

Ingredients [Serves 4-6] : 4 cups of long-grained rice, 2 medium-sized cans of tomato sauce or tomato paste, I pound of gizzards (chicken) (shrimps or fish can be substituted), I can of corned beef, 2 cups of freezing mixed vegetables, 1 medium-sized white onion (chopped), 2 small yellow peppers (chopped), cooking oil, salt, blend of spices (basil, thyme, curry), beef stock cubes (Knorr/Maggi are the more tasteless types) and seasonings (usually Creole/Greek) to taste.

West African Cuisine - Jollof Rice

Preparation: Parboil rice for about 10-15 minutes, drain out excess liquid and set aside. In a pot or skillet, pour in two tablespoonfuls of oil, add corned beef, gizzards (or shrimp/fish) and fry for at least five minutes or until meats are brown or golden (this should be done with high heat). Add in tomato sauce/paste, two cups of warm water, mixed vegetables, chopped onions, peppers and spices. Stir gently and leave to simmer for a few minutes until sauce comes to boil. The final step is to add the parboiled rice into the sauce and stir thoroughly. Lower the heat and let simmer until the rice has absorbed all the sauce.

Note: If sauce has been absorbed and rice is still a bit hard to the touch and taste, add at least a cup of salted warm water and continue to simmer.

Garnish with parsley, lettuce or boiled eggs and serve hot with baked chicken, fish or beef.

In addition, there are any other variations of Jollof rice:

1. Fried Rice - which involves the above ingredients but without tomato paste/sauce. In this case, parboiled rice must be boiled fully and the rice and sauce must be stirred continuously until it's been absorbed.
2. Coconut Rice - This involves using the liquid from a coconut as a part of the sauce. All instructions used above will work well with this.

Any and all variations of these are healthy and nutritious meals that can be enjoyed for supper or served at parties to friends and family. Enjoy!

West African Cuisine - Jollof Rice