Jollof Rice
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1(14-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices
- 1medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped
- ½medium red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4garlic cloves, peeled
- 1(1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1red habanero chile, stemmed
- 2tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
- ½cup canola or other neutral oil
- 2medium red onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- 4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1tablespoon tomato paste
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- 3cups parboiled long-grain rice (such as Carolina Gold or Uncle Ben’s Original), basmati or jasmine rice (about 1¼ pounds)
- 5fresh thyme sprigs
- 1fresh bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2cups beef, chicken or vegetable stock
For the Obe Ata
For the Jollof Rice
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
357 calories; 14 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 480 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the obe ata: Working in batches if needed, combine all the obe ata ingredients except the canola oil in a blender and purée on high until smooth. The liquid from the can of tomatoes should suffice, but you can add up to ¼ cup of water if necessary to get the purée going. (You should have about 3 cups of purée.)
- Step 2
Heat the 2 tablespoons canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add the purée and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced by about a third of its original volume, 18 to 20 minutes. (It should make about 2 cups. Obe ata can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Step 3
Prepare the rice: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the ½ cup canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium until shimmering, about 1 minute. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove half the onions to a plate and set aside. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, turmeric and smoked paprika, if using, and toast, stirring occasionally, until turmeric is fragrant and tomato paste has deepened to a dark red color, about 2 minutes.
- Step 4
Stir in the obe ata sauce and bring to a simmer over medium heat. The habanero oils love to disperse in the air, so you may want to turn on your stovetop fan or open a window while simmering the obe ata. Stir in the rice, thyme and bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the stock and cover with a lid. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook until rice is just tender, 35 minutes.
- Step 5
Remove the pot from the oven and let sit, covered (no peeking) for 15 minutes. Uncover, fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the reserved sautéed onions. Adjust seasoning, if necessary, and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Serve warm.
Private Notes
Comments
For those interested in cooking the recipe but who (like me) don't use "converted" (parboiled) rice, I suggest you could substitute 2 cups long-grain rice and 2-1/2 cups of stock.
I’ve made this three times now. My thoughts: 1) solid recipe with superior flavor and great balance. My wife is in love with this. 2) to me, a Nigerian, this doesn’t exactly taste like jollof. In facts it’s probably the least “jollof” tasting jollof I’ve ever had but it’s still delicious 3) recommend cooking on stove as opposed to oven. You will achieve the slight burn to the bottom which provides excellent flavor. I cooked it between 4-5 on electrical stove for 30 min, then left covered 10
Good recipe, but I doubt Ms. Komolafe's claim that smoked paprika substitutes for the caramelized rice that's obtained by stovetop cooking. Iranian cuisine uses caramelization for chelo rice: the delicious browned bottom crust, the "tahdig", is savory-sweet rather than smoky. I'd use a wide non-stick pan instead of the oven in step 4, and after the stock is absorbed, set the heat to low (2/10 on electric heat) and cook lid-on for 30 mins unattended.
I doubled the recipe and it came out undercooked (rice was still hard). I kept to the same 3 cups jasmine rice, 2 cups obe ata, 2 cups broth (3-2-2 so doubled it was 6-4-4). Any suggestions? Cook longer than 35 minutes in oven? Man my confidence stinks when it comes to cooking.
Re the Obe Ata, Step 1: it took researching other Jollof recipes to realize that WATER is missing in the directions, as well as the Ingredients list. I know NYT Cooking as a rule won't list water, but come on, at least specify in the directions! Maybe it's in the video? After all these years' cooking, incl restaurants, I don't need videos. No way 14 oz tomatoes with juices from can = 3 cups puree, I thought... Added 2 cups water/broth. This is a serious omission that should be corrected!
It's not just the tomatoes, you're also pureeing onion, peppers, garlic and ginger.
Delicious. Used 1/2 the oil and onions with basmati & Algerian broiled chicken thighs. Even better the next day
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