Potato salad is a popular dish across the world and enjoyed by many.
In Ghana, Potato salad is usually served at events as a side dish, however it’s my go to dish when I have limited ingredients in my fridge to use up.
This recipe offers a balanced the flavour packed dish by cutting through the creaminess with Cider Vinegar.
I prefer to have my hard boiled Eggs in big chunks for the added texture.
I introduced sweetness to this dish by adding Onion marmalade (which is easy to make) and the added crunch from my finely diced mixed Peppers and Onions. You can also add your preferred protein to create a meal.
Enjoy this dish with a perfectly grilled Fish or Chicken.
For the list of ingredients, you will need the following;
250g of peeled or unpeeled cubed Potatoes (Best to use any waxy Potato)
1 large sliced Onion
20g of finely diced mixed Peppers
1 small finely diced Onion
20ml of Olive oil
30g of Mayonnaise
1 tablespoonful of Cider Vinegar
Finely diced steamed Carrots (Optional)
Finely chopped Coriander or Parsley (Optional)
3 large hard boiled Eggs cut into chunks
1 teaspoon of milled Black Peppercorns
Half a teaspoon of salt to taste
METHOD
Watch how to prepare this tasty Salad on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’, below;
Don’t forget to subscribe, like the video, try the recipe and share with your family and friends 😘
All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
Ghanaian Jollof is 'bae' says thee, who's Ghanaian 😜 and makes Jollof with a twist.
Jollof rice', is a popular West African dish which originated from the Wolof tribe of SeneGambia. 'Jollof' is a one pot dish with the rice cooked in a spiced rich tomato sauce, which gives the Jollof rice its distinctive Orange colour. One can't present a pale or blush looking rice and call it Jollof 'that's a big no no'. Jollof should always have its distinctive deep Orange colour.
Over the years, Ghana and Nigeria have dominated in it's consumption , therefore sparking a healthy debate, to who makes it better (that in itself depicts the different methods of cooking Jollof).
In recent times, there hasn't been a moment (on social media) where the controversy of Jollof making is discussed, either in a positive, critical or competitive way.
Jamie Oliver tried creating his own version which had a backlash from purists critiquing his technique and finished product.
I've come across a few videos of Jollof making which has received both positive and negative comments including mine, and in instances uncalled for abuse.
Using my leftover Jollof to make a Sicilian inspired Jollof Arancini, where the Jollof can be stuffed with meat, cheese, vegetables etc , rolled into a ball and deep fried in Panko breadcrumbs, shows the diverse ways of enjoying Jollof.
The whole idea of a recipe is to inspire you to cook and add your own twist. It takes a lot of time, effort and cost for either Bloggers or Vloggers to put up a recipe, hence offering encouraging words or advise in a respectful manner will have its desired purpose of educating.
Cooking is an art and shouldn't be restricted to one school of thought; just as creatively someone promoted the use of carrots in the absence of tomatoes for sauces (during the shortage and inflated price of tomatoes in Nigeria).
The buzz about who makes the best Jollof is in tandem with everyones Mum been the best cook, hence asking whose Mum is the best cook will heed no results.
I purposely stay clear of such inconclusive arguments and rather keep pushing the boundaries to deepen the frowns of the purists 😜.
Last year I participated in the World Jollof Rice Day and uploaded a video on YouTube in commemoration of the day and this year I wanted to do a write up of all things Jollof rice. It's been viewed over 100,000 times and see why?...
I've created different types of Jollof rice recipes including one which I incorporated the Nigerian stew 'Buka'. BUKA JOLLOF RECIPE
I've also used sticky rice to make sticky Jollof rice for my canapés and I vividly remember uploading it on social media and a few people jumped on the bandwagon of an over cooked and wet Jollof.😡 Bless!
Types of Rice
In the years of making Jollof rice, I've used Long grain rice, Short grain rice, Brown rice, Basmati rice, Jasmine rice and Sticky rice. My favourite choice will be Jasmine rice as it lends its perfumery taste to the dish.
When using Jasmine rice, it's best to keep your spices to a minimum to allow the flavour of the rice through. A little Ginger, Chilli, Onion, powdered crayfish, a pinch of Nutmeg and bay leaf always works.
Perfect Coconut rice recipe
Cooking Pots
The best pots to use for Jollof rice are either a heavy bottomed pot or a clay pot.
Traditionally Jollof rice is cooked on hot coal or firewood hence the heavy bottomed pot or clay pot helps reduce the speed to which the bottom burned.
I'm fond of the clay pot as heat is evenly distributed and cooks each grain perfectly. Unlike the heavy bottomed pan, you don't need to stir the Jollof rice as much when using a clay pot. The clay pot also offers a natural smoky infusion to the Jollof.
Spices & Herbs
Most people use curry powder, thyme and bay leaf for their Jollof rice. I love experimenting with spices and herbs, hence I've used smoky Ancho Chillies, Pimenton, Rosemary, Nigella seeds, Sage, Kafir lime, Grains of Selim, to mention but a few.
It's exciting experimenting with spices and herbs in creating different flavours of Jollof.
Cooking Methods
Nigerians prefer to par boil their rice before incorporating it into their sauce, however Ghanaians wash the rice and add to the sauce and slow cook.
In my quest for exploring the best way to cook rice a very good friend of mine , Ayesha taught me how it's made in Pakistan. I noticed the method was a cross between the Ghanaian and Nigerian way of cooking their Jollof rice, which was a welcomed education.
The Perfect Jollof sauce
The key to making the best tasting Jollof is the sauce and cooking technique you use.
Find the Jollof sauce recipe here, which you can make in advance and freeze for up to a month.
Jollof Sauce Recipe
Washing your preferred rice till the water runs clear and soaking it for about 15 minutes before cooking, guarantees you a perfect fluffy rice each time.
Once the Jollof sauce is ready add your rice and dry fry it for 5 minutes or until the rice is well coated.
How much water do I add?
Achieving a fluffy and tasty rice requires little water and trapping the steam to cook the rice. Eg; For 350g of rice , I'll use 150ml of water. Trap the steam of the rice by using grease proof paper or banana leaves and cover with the lid till it's perfectly cooked.
'Jollof rice', is a popular West African dish which originated from the Wolof tribe of SeneGambia. Over the years, Ghana and Nigeria have dominated in it's consumption , therefore sparking a healthy debate, to who makes it better (that in itself depicts the different methods of cooking Jollof rice).
Jollof rice, is a one pot dish, with a spiced tomato stew base, which the rice is cooked in (it's most likely to be served at West African's social gatherings or restaurants).
During the famine years (between 1983-84) of Ghana, Jollof was a staple dish in my household, with Mum cooking it with spiced dried meat (biltong) or corned beef.
Mums Jollof had this smoky, perfectly spiced taste which I loved scraping the saucepan with a spoon (much to her disapproval) for the flavoursome crunchy bits (Kanzo).
I prefer my Jollof, at most 10hrs after cooking, as I believe the flavours intensify then. However, one has to refrigerate the rice no more than an hour after cooking (to prevent food poisoning) and steam it till it's piping hot before consumption. Please refrain from re-heating the rice again and consume within 24hrs.
There are countless variations and flavours to this dish. One can change the Jollof's taste by the type of herbs and spices they incorporate, but one can't change the colour and call it Jollof.
Jollof has always caused a stir, with purist holding unto the traditional methods of cooking and the distinctive dark orange colour.
Check out my Buka Jollof (made from the ever popular Nigerian stew 'Buka'.
The basic principle for any Jollof is to have a smoky taste ( which is achieved by the slight burning of the base) and it's deep rich orange colour, which is achieved by adding tomato purée and red peppers (optional).
I love adding red peppers to my Jollof sauce as it lends it's sweetness to the dish.
Chorizo oil
The Jollof recipe here has a distinctive smoky taste and I used the oils extracted from Chorizo (after baking it) and smoky Paprika.
Serves 6
Ingredients
350g of washed and soaked Basmati rice for 15 minutes (you can also use long grain rice, Jasmine rice or brown rice).
150ml of Chicken stock (your preferred stock).
Jollof Sauce
700g of fresh tomatoes
175g of tomato purée
2 large red peppers
2 large onions (1 sliced and the other chopped).
30g of ginger
1 clove of garlic
1 Habanero chilli
1 diced green chilli
4 tablespoons of groundnut oil / Coconut oil.
2 teaspoonful of smoked Paprika.
5 stalks of grains of selim
15g of fresh thyme (try using Sage, Oregano, Rosemary etc)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Method
Blend the Tomatoes, Red peppers, chilli, Onion, 1 teaspoon of smoked Paprika, Garlic & Ginger together.
Place a heavy bottomed saucepan on a medium heat.
Add the oil and the sliced onion. Fry for 3 minutes (making sure you stir the mix).
Add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and fry for a minute.
Add the tomato purée and fry for 3 minutes
Add the diced green chilli and fry for a minute
Add the spiced tomatoes mix and cook the sauce till it thickens to a paste. (This should take about 40-45minutes).
The reason for the slow cooking, is to intensify the natural flavours of the sauce.
Add the thyme leaves and stir.
Wash the rice till the water is clear and soak it for about 15 minutes.
Tip
The washing reduces the starch content of the rice. This helps in achieving the perfect, separated and fluffy rice.
The soaking cuts the cooking time in half and helps the rice to absorb the flavours of the sauce.
Add the washed rice to the sauce and stir fry for 5-7 minutes (making sure the rice has absorbed the sauce and it's well coated).
Add your preferred stock and stir. Once it starts to boil, lower the heat, cover with scrunched up baking paper, grease proof paper or foil and finally cover with the lid.
The whole point of this is to trap the steam in the saucepan and allow the rice to cook with little water. This will also intensify the flavour of the rice.
Cook for 20-22 minutes, till fluffy and el dente ( I prefer my rice to have a little bite). This is optional and you can steam it till it's completely soft but not soggy.
Turn the heat off and leave the rice to continue cooking in it's steam for 7-8 minutes.
Serve with your preferred meat, poultry or fish and salad or steamed vegetables.
In this instance I paired my Jollof with grilled Tilapia. Recipe coming up soon on my YouTube page, 'Ndudu by Fafa'.
Enjoy with chilled bottle of beer or a Pineapple & Ginger juice.
All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.
