Ghanaian Jollof Rice
Jollof rice is the quintessential West African dish. Rice cooked in a tomato sauce, it's relatively cheap and absolutely delicious. Its origins and antiquity are greatly debated, as is the matter of which country has the best jollof rice.
I am not convinced that this recipe for Ghanaian Jollof rice is actually authentically Ghanaian. According to Wikipedia Ghanaian Jollof rice "is made of vegetable oil, onion, bell pepper, cloves of pressed garlic, chillies, tomato paste, beef or goat meat or chicken (some times alternated with mixed vegetables), jasmine or basmati rice and black pepper" - this recipe lacked both the bell pepper and the garlic. Still, it was very tasty and the umami from the tomatoes makes it positively addictive.
Traditionally, jollof is made with chicken broth but I used vegetable broth to make it vegan. I also omitted the habanero,as my children aren't fans of spicy foods, and the mixed frozen vegetables because I didn't have any - but do add them if you have them.
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Ghanaian Jollof Rice
Ingredients
- 2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomato
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 habanero pepper, seeded and roughly chopped (optional)
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 3 tsp vegetable or chicken stock concentrate
- 2 1/2 cups basmati rice, rinsed
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups water
Directions
Using an electric blender, purée the chopped onions with 2 Tbsp. of oil.
Heat 1/3 cups of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, using an electric blender, purée together the diced tomatoes, the tomato paste and the habanero, if using.
Once the onions are dry and lightly brown, add the tomato purée, the curry, garlic powder, ginger, dried herbs and chicken stock concentrate. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduced by half, about 20 minutes.
Add the riced, mixed vegetables and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with aluminum foil and then with the lid. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the rice is done.
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Adapted from a recipe at Tasty
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