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Native Jollof Rice

Also known as Native Jollof Rice (Smoky Firewood Style)

Native Jollof Rice — or Smoky Firewood Jollof — is the original, most authentic and most deeply flavoured version of Nigerian Jollof Rice, cooked over an open wood fire or charcoal instead of a gas cooker. The wood fire imparts an extraordinary, haunting smoky flavour that penetrates every grain of rice and cannot be replicated on a gas cooker.

Native Jollof Rice, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 5 big cups of parboiled long-grain rice, washed
  • 6 big ripe tomatoes, blended
  • 4 big Tatashe (red bell peppers), blended
  • 4 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 big onion — half blended, half sliced
  • 4 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
  • 2 big big tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 1 whole chicken, cut and cooked
  • 3 big glasses of seasoned chicken stock
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • 1 teaspoon of curry
  • 1 teaspoon of thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 01

    Building the Deep Pepper Stew. Heat oil in a large pot over your heat source. Fry the tomato paste for 3 minutes. Add the blended pepper mixture. Fry very vigorously for 30 to 35 minutes — over a wood fire, the intense, uneven heat of the flame develops deeper caramelisation than a gas cooker. The stew must be very dark, very thick and the oil clearly separated.

  2. 02

    Seasoning the Stew. Add curry, thyme, bay leaves, seasoning cubes, salt and the cooked chicken to the stew. Add the chicken stock. Taste and adjust — the stew must be boldly seasoned.

  3. 03

    Adding the Rice and Cooking. Add the washed rice. Stir. Cover tightly with foil then lid. Cook on medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Stir from the bottom. Add butter. Re-seal.

  4. 04

    The Firewood Smoke Finish. In the final 10 minutes, increase the heat to high. Over a wood fire, this naturally creates the smoky base. On a gas cooker, allow the bottom to caramelise to a deeper level than normal Jollof. The smoke from the caramelising bottom permeates upward through the rice, giving every grain a whisper of smokiness.

  5. 05

    Resting and Serving. Remove from heat. Leave covered and resting for 8 minutes before opening. The smoke distributes evenly during this rest. Serve immediately to preserve the smoky aroma.

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