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Jollof Rice for Children

Also known as Jollof Rice for Children (Mild Version)

Children's Jollof Rice is prepared with all the same technique and love as standard Party Jollof but with a significantly reduced pepper and chilli content — enough to provide the characteristic warm, savoury Nigerian flavour without the fierce heat that adult Jollof carries. Nigerian parents understand that a child who is served food that is too spicy will refuse to eat, so Children's Jollof uses only 1 to 2 Atarodo instead of the 4 to 5 of the adult version.

Jollof Rice for Children, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 4 big cups of parboiled long-grain rice, washed
  • 5 big ripe tomatoes, blended
  • 3 big Tatashe (red bell peppers), blended
  • 1 to 2 Atarodo only — children's version is mild
  • 1 big onion — half blended, half sliced
  • 3 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
  • 1 big tablespoon of tomato paste
  • 1 whole chicken (for cooking into the rice), cut into pieces
  • 2 big glasses of well-seasoned chicken stock
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • 1 teaspoon of curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon of thyme
  • 1 tablespoon of butter — for the finish
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 01

    Cooking the Chicken. Season chicken pieces with 1 seasoning cube, curry, thyme and salt. Cook in water for 20 minutes until tender. Reserve the stock. Fry the cooked chicken until golden. Set aside.

  2. 02

    Frying the Pepper Base. Heat oil in a wide pot. Add sliced onion and fry 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and fry 3 minutes. Add blended tomatoes, Tatashe and the 1 to 2 Atarodo only. Fry vigorously for 20 to 25 minutes until deeply cooked and oil floats on top. The children's pepper base should smell richly of tomato and very mildly of pepper.

  3. 03

    Building and Cooking. Add remaining seasoning cubes, curry, thyme and salt. Add chicken pieces. Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Add washed rice. Stir once. Seal tightly with foil and lid. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.

  4. 04

    Finishing. Open carefully. Stir from the bottom. Add butter. Re-seal and cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes for the gentle smoky bottom. Remove from heat. Rest covered for 5 minutes.

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