African Jollof Rice

This blog post comes to you per request of my cousin Christopher.  A couple years ago, Christopher went on a trip to Ghana.  While there, he got to try many different, local foods (and I'm happy to say I've noticed how his exploration in Ghana has expanded his taste in food overall).  A couple weeks ago, he told me that he would love to see some African food on my blog and gave me one suggested dish to start with - Jollof Rice.  So last week I set out to research and create a good Jollof Rice recipe for him.  Now, I do have to say I researched....A LOT....but it is hard to know if I went the right route and did it as he would have found it there since I've never had this dish before (and Bellingham doesn't have any African restaurants where I could go to scope it out).

The other aspect that made this hard was that everywhere I looked, recipes were completely different!  Jollof Rice is originated from Ghana and Nigeria and seems to be a common dish to every household.  That said, it seems to be one of those recipes where each family has "their own way" of doing it.  I did learn that the "must haves" for any Jollof Rice recipe include rice, tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, salt and red pepper.  Beyond that, almost any spice or vegetable can be added.  I tended to see about half of the recipes I looked at adding flavors to the rice through infusing nutmeg and bay leafs, while others brought in flavor from various other spices and peppers.  Being a lover of spice, but not wanting to lose what both had to offer, I decided to meld these two concepts together.  You will see that my recipe used all the basic ingredients except for red pepper.  That's because I'm allergic.  Feel free to add one if you would like.  Other veggies I thought about adding but didn't in this batch were peas, cabbage and okra.  Feel free to be creative as long as you stick to the basic outline of the recipe. 

Like I said above, I have never had real Jollof Rice and cannot adequately compare what I made to the authentic thing (aside from what I have learned about it), but I will say I was very pleased with the flavor and how it turned out and do not think you will be disappointed!  And to Christopher - if you do try this one day - please comment and leave us your expert opinion on how it compares and how we can improve on bringing these tastes to our American tables!!!

African Jollof Rice
makes 4-6 main dish or 6-8 side dish servings
3/4 lb. chicken (dark meat is more authentic here)
2 white onions, 1 chopped and 1 cut into large chunks/wedges
2 carrots, peeled and diced into 1/4 in. cubes
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
3 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 scotch-bonnet or habanero, stemmed and cut in half (remove seeds for mild, or leave in for medium/hot)
4 Tbs tomato paste
1 large handful of green beans, diced
2 c. long grain or basmati rice
4 c. chicken stock
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
2 large Tbs coconut oil (use regular, not extra virgin b/c extra virgin does not withstand such high heats)

In a large (10-12''), non-stick skillet, heat the tablespoons of coconut oil over medium high heat.  Add the chicken and cook on both sides until browned (about 2-3 mins/side).  Meanwhile, in a food processor, process the wedged onion with the garlic, ginger, tomatoes and scotch-bonnet until the mixture is ground up (but not liquid).  In a medium saucepan on a seperate burner, bring the chicken stock to a simmer over medium heat.  Once the chicken is browned on both sides, remove from heat and place into the simmering chicken stock.  Turn the skillet burner down to medium.  Cook for 20 mins, the remove the chicken to cool and set the stock aside.   

In the skillet, saute the chopped onion for 5 minutes until translucent.  Add the carrot and saute another 5 mintues.  Stir in the tomato paste until onion and carrot are coated.  Add the onion/tomato puree and green beans and stir until well combined.  Pour the rice evenly over top and sprinkle evenly with the cumin and nutmeg, then pour in the chicken stock.  Cover and simmer until rice is cooked through (about 20-25 minutes).  You will know the rice is done when it appears to have absorbed most all the liquid and is tender to the touch.  While the rice is cooking, chop the chicken into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes.  When you have determined the rice is finished cooking, stir in the chicken and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and serve immediately.  Jollof Rice is often served with fried plantains and/or salad.