Classic Nigerian Jollof Rice

Historically, jollof rice was a one-pot dish made with protein and carrots, peppers, and leafy vegetables. Today, it’s all about the rice; the vegetables tend to show up as a side, à la Nigerian Salad . A seasoned tomato base spiced with curry powder gives this rice its orange-red color. For great jollof, the tomato mix for the stew base is cooked twice—first to soften and round out the raw, tart flavors, and a second time to fry and season it, concentrating the flavors.

To get grains that are “one-one” (fluffy) and well seasoned to the core of each grain, start with parboiled (not parcooked) or converted rice (husk-on rice that is partly cooked before dehusking). The result is golden grains of raw rice that are sturdy and capable of absorbing stews without turning to mush. Cook the rice over low heat so it absorbs the sauce properly and doesn’t scorch on the bottom. Stirring occasionally ensures evenly cooked rice.

Serve with Dòdò, Mọ́ínmọ́ín Elewe, an assortment of meat or fish, and Nigerian Salad.

Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria Ozoz Sokoh

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) neutral oil

• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

• 3 dried bay leaves

• 2 teaspoons Curry Powder, plus more as needed

• 2 teaspoons dried thyme

• 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more as needed

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black or white pepper, plus more as needed

• ¼ cup (60 g) tomato paste (see notes)

• 3 teaspoons unsalted butter

• 3 cups (720 ml) Tomato Stew Base

• 3 ½ cups (840 ml) Curry Stock

• 3 cups (570 g) converted long-grain rice, rinsed and drained (see notes)

• 1 Roma (plum) tomato, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise into half-moons

DIRECTIONS

In a 4- or 5-quart (4 or 5 L) pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add half the onion, the bay leaves, curry powder, thyme, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ½ teaspoon of the pepper. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant and the onion softens slightly, about 3 minutes. 

Reduce the heat to low and stir in the tomato paste and 2 teaspoons of the butter. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring continuously, until the tomato paste darkens and splits in the oil. Stir in the stew base. Increase the heat to medium, cover the pot with the lid ajar, and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently and carefully—it will splatter—until the mixture thickens and oil pools on top. 

Stir in 3 cups (720 ml) of the curry stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. 

Add the rice and stir until evenly coated in the sauce. Cover the pot with a double layer of aluminum foil or parchment paper, crimp down around the edges to seal, then top with the lid (this will trap steam to lock in the flavor and aid in even cooking). Reduce the heat to the lowest setting possible and cook for 20 minutes, then uncover the pot and gently but thoroughly stir, from top to bottom, to combine the top layer of sauce and the rice underneath. Cover and cook until the rice is just tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes more. If it still has a firm bite and needs to soften, add the remaining 1/2 cup (120 ml) curry stock, cover, and cook for 10 minutes more, or until the rice is tender and cooked through.

Add the tomato, remaining onion, and remaining 1 teaspoon butter and cook, stirring, until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Taste the rice and adjust with salt and pepper, if needed, before serving.

NOTES: If you like slim- grained rice, use Indian Golden Sella basmati, which is also parboiled. Start off with less liquid and adjust accordingly.

When selecting tomato paste, choose a product that is made with just tomatoes and salt—some tomato pastes are super acidic and will change the balance of the dish.

THE HISTORY OF JOLLOF RICE

Sometimes just called jollof (which means “enjoyment”), this dish is named for the historic Jolof state (present-day Senegal and Gambia) of the Wolof empire, which ruled from the mid-fourteenth to mid-sixteenth century. The region was known as the Grain or Rice Coast due to the high concentration of rice, millet, and other grain cultivation on the banks of the Senegal River. Jollof is believed to have traveled across the coast of West Africa with the Dyula, merchants who traversed both the trans-Saharan trade routes and established routes south of the Sahara. Other related versions of the dish—red rice in the Lowcountry of the American South, jambalaya in New Orleans, and Mexican arroz rojo—are descendants of jollof via the transatlantic trade in enslaved African people.

Excerpted from CHOP CHOP: Cooking the Food of Nigeria by OzozSokoh, copyright ©2025 by Ozoz Sokoh, photos copyright ©2025 by James Ransom.  Used with permission of Artisan Books, a division of Workman Publishing Co., Inc., a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc. 

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