Jollof from Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen
“Almost everyone familiar with jollof has their own recipe for it, and nobody else’s version is as good as their mother’s or grandma’s, but the principle is always rice cooked in a spiced blend of tomatoes and onion, which gives it its rich red colouring. What epitomizes Ghanaian jollof for me is the sweet, smoky heat from Scotch Bonnet chilli (giving just enough robust heat to warm the palate without having to reach for a glass of soothing milk) and the distinctive smoky fish flavour from the dried ground crayfish or prawn/shrimp powder. I’ve used chicken here but you can use whatever meat and vegetables take your fancy.” Zoe Adjonyoh, author of Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen
Serves 6
For the Jollof Dry Spice Mix
25g (1oz) ground ginger
25g (1oz) garlic powder
20g (¾oz) dried chilli flakes
35g (1¼oz) dried thyme
25g (1oz) ground cinnamon
15g (½oz) ground nutmeg
15g (½oz) ground coriander
¼ teaspoon cooking salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Scant 1 teaspoon dried ground prawn/shrimp or crayfish powder (optional)
For the Jollof Sauce
Sunflower or other cooking oil
1 large onion, finely diced
½ tablespoon curry powder
½ tablespoon chilli powder
2.5cm (1-inch) piece fresh root ginger, grated (unpeeled if organic)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 red Scotch Bonnet chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped (optional)
25g (1oz) thyme leaves, chopped (optional)
1 heaped tablespoon Jollof Dry Spice Mix
400g (14fl oz) can tomatoes or 250g (9oz) fresh tomatoes, diced
1 heaped tablespoon tomato purée
1 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
100ml (3½fl oz) good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
For the Jollof Rice
2 large onions, finely chopped
Olive oil or groundnut oil
6–8 bone-in chicken portions (thighs or drumsticks)
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 large bay leaf
5–6 guinea peppers, crushed
1 Scotch Bonnet chilli, deseeded and diced
2 tablespoons Jollof Dry Spice Mix
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons groundnut oil or sunflower oil
1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
500ml (18fl oz) Jollof Sauce
300g (10½oz) basmati or other long-grain white rice
Chopped parsley or coriander, to garnish
Shito (Hot Pepper Sauce) or Green Kpakpo Shito Salsa (seepages 228 and 231 of Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen), to serve
First make the jollof dry spice mix. This recipe will make enough for several pots of jollof rice, so you only have to do it once. Simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place and use within a few months.
Then make the jollof sauce. Heat enough sunflower or other cooking oil to cover the base of a heavy-based saucepan, add the onion and sauté over a medium heat until translucent. Stir in the curry powder and chilli powder and gently fry for a further 2 minutes.
Add the ginger, garlic, Scotch Bonnet, thyme (if using) and jollof dry spice mix and stir well. Then add the tomatoes and tomato purée, sea salt and stock and stir once more before blending thoroughly with a stick blender until smooth.
Simmer over a medium–low heat for 30–40 minutes (closer to 40 minutes if using canned tomatoes in order to cook out the acidity of the tomatoes). Taste for seasoning and add extra sea salt if required.
Leave to cool and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for future use.
To make the rice, first make the broth. Sweat half the chopped onion in a little oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a low heat, add the chicken, the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, guinea peppers, Scotch Bonnet, 1 tablespoon jollof dry spice mix and sea salt and stir well. Pour in enough water just to cover the ingredients and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Remove the chicken from the pan, place on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil or groundnut oil. Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes. Drain the fragrant broth into a jug and reserve for adding to the rice.
To make the jollof, heat the 4 tablespoons of groundnut or sunflower oil in the same pan you used to make the broth, add the remaining chopped onion and sauté over a medium heat for a few minutes until soft. Stir in the remaining jollof dry spice mix, the chilli powder and curry powder and add 350ml (12fl oz) of the jollof sauce, reserving the rest for adding at the next stage. Then stir the broth into the pan.
Wash the rice thoroughly in cold water to remove as much starch as possible – I wash it in at least 3 changes of water until the water runs clear – then drain and stir it into the jollof sauce/broth mixture so that it’s evenly coated. Ladle in the reserved jollof sauce without stirring, then reduce the heat, cover the pan with foil to keep in the steam and add the lid. Cook for 15–20 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Stir through with a fork to fluff up the rice.
By this stage, your chicken in the oven should be perfectly crisp! Serve the rice with the chicken pieces on top, scattered with the chopped herbs to garnish, with shito or kpakpo shito salsa on the side.
