The conversation geared towards her favourite dish , which she revealed as Pilau or Pilaf rice, as I sipped on my hot cup of tea. A colleague at work(from Uganda),engaged me in a conversation of the varied African dishes. The very next day, she brought me a special bark that was used in making the Uganda Pilau rice. Sadly she couldn’t tell me the English name. The bark had a sweet and Cinnamon scented smell, which I aptly named ‘The African Cinnamon’.
This conversation had me intrigued and I started to investigate the dish. The origins of Pilau or Pilaf is controversial since the Middle East lays claims to it and so do the Indians.
Pilau or Pilaf is basically rice cooked in a spiced broth.
Pilau or Pilaf rice was introduced to the Eastern Part of Africa by the Indians and enjoyed in most households.
Whenever you have any stock left after steaming your Meat or Chicken, add some rice and voila you have your Pilau rice.
After my research, I decided to create my own version of the dish, subject to the ingredients I had available.
As I carefully chose my alternative ingredients, based on the similarities in flavours, I knew I had to name the West African Pilau rice, due to their origin.
Most of the spices used for this recipe are readily available in most West African countries, African shops and online.
Watch how I made this on my YouTube channel, 'Ndudu by Fafa'.
INGREDIENTS
400g of long grain or Basmati rice
1kg of diced Lamb, Mutton, Goat Meat or Chicken
1 large Onion
30g of Tomato paste
4 tablespoonful of dark soy sauce or Tamarind paste
‘Jollof’ originates from the Wolof or Jolof empire during the 14th-16th century. The former empire was situated where modern day Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania are now.
I’ll talk about the history of Jollof in another blogpost.
For now I’ve created a recipe using Millet and Fonio which both have high nutrient contents and a must try. To start you’ll need the following;
INGREDIENTS
500g of Chipotle sausages or any sausages of your choice. You can use any protein of your choice (Beef, Lamb, Goat Meat, Fish and Seafood) as substitutes.
2 tablespoonful of your preferred oil
300g of Jollof Stew or any Tomato based stew of your choice
JOLLOF STEW RECIPE
100g of sliced Carrots
400ml of Water
100g of small grain Millet
Optional 2 medium sized grilled Corn on the Cob
2 Bay leaves
150g of Fonio
300ml of your preferred Stock or Water
2 large quartered Onions
30g of sundried Tomatoes (optional)
10g of Fennel leaves which you can substitute with Basil leaves.
SERVE WITH
2 ripened peeled and sliced Plantains
250ml of your preferred oil for frying. For a healthier option you can bake the Plantain instead.
Salt to taste.
GOAT MEAT STEW RECIPE
TIPS
Do soak the Millet overnight.
PLEASE NOTE
Cook the Millet for at least 30 minutes before adding the Fonio.
METHOD
Watch how to prepare this gluten free and nutrient packed Jollof below;
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Reproducing the recipe for commercial use is prohibited unless permitted by the owner.
Imagine bitting into a soft Chicken packed with a tangy, garlicky and somewhat sweet flavour, accompanied by a mouthful of a smoky Fonio(which by the way has more nutrients than Quinoa)!
Introducing the tastiest Chicken Yassa (Poulet Yassa) originally from SeneGambia and a specialty from the Casamance region of Southern Senegal.
I enjoyed this classic dish with Fonio, which I discovered from Chef Pierre Tham (from Senegal) and based in New York. Honestly it’s my favourite grain now as it has a nutty flavour and much better than Rice, Quinoa and CousCous. I said it!
Chef Pierre Tham has even written a book about Fonio and sells Fonio under his food brand ‘Yolele Foods’ which is available in all WholeFoods shops in the States.
For this recipe I bought my Fonio from Aduna which is also available on Amazon if you’re based in Europe.
Fonio is quick to make provided your have the stock. Talking about stock, I purposely added more stock to my Chicken Yassa as I needed the extra stock for my Fonio.
TIP
Once you add the Fonio to your stock, reduce the fire to its lowest setting and cook slowly for 15 minutes.
Let me I start listing the ingredients or I’ll keep talking about this amazing dish all day long!
INGREDIENTS
1kg of skinless Chicken thighs and drumsticks
1 large bulb of Garlic
6 large sliced Onions
1 tablespoonful of Dijon Mustard
4 tablespoonfuls of Olive oil
50g of Butter
1 levelled teaspoon of milled Black Peppercorns
1 levelled teaspoon of red Chilli flakes
3 Bay leaves
300ml of your preferred oil for frying
500ml of Chicken Stock
1 large sliced Lemon
Juice of 2 large Lemons
Salt to taste
FONIO PILAF
200ml of Chicken Yassa stock
100ml of water
1 teaspoonful of smoked Paprika
A sprig of fresh Rosemary or half a teaspoon of dried Rosemary
1 Bayleaf
180g of Fonio
Salt to taste
METHOD
Watch how to prepare the tastiest Chicken Yassa and Fonio Pilaf below;
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All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
Imagine slow cooked Onion marmalade infused with Koobi(the Ghanaian salted Fish)which is then turned into this beauty called ‘Koobi Angwa Mo’
It’s not like any other Angwa Mo you have ever tasted ooh! This is precision with Fork and Knife separating Koobi ‘tings’ ooh!
You can use any salted Fish you have available including Salted Anchovies for this recipe.
Traditionally the oiled spiced Ghanaian Rice known as ‘Angwa Mo’ is served with an Omelette, Sardines and a hot red chilli sauce. You’ll find elements of these flavours in this recipe.
I can boldly say this ‘Koobi Angwa Mo’ gives Jollof rice a run for its money.
HOW TO COOK THE PERFECT RICE
INGREDIENTS
200g of Jasmine Rice washed till the water runs clear and soaked for 15 minutes
2 large thinly sliced Onions
2 Habanero chillies
4 tablespoonfuls of Coconut oil
100g of Salted Fish cooked in 400ml of Water
150ml of the Salted Fish stock
100ml of Water
Quarter of a teaspoon of grated Nutmeg
2 Bayleaves
Optional Salt to taste
METHOD
Watch how to prepare this amazing (Salted Fish Rice dish (Koobi Angwa Mo) below;
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RECIPE RECOMMENDATIONS
All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
‘Jollof Rice has over the years risen in its popularity thanks to the Nigeria and Ghana’s friendly competitiveness and the infamous ‘botched’ attempts (as frowned upon by the purists) by international companies and famous individuals.
I’ve partaken in reinventing Jollof Rice by the plethora of recipes I’ve created over the years including Jollof Arancini, Sticky Jollof Rice, Omurice etc (all available on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’).
A perfect Jollof Rice recipe requires a flavour packed Tomato based sauce and must have that distinctive deep orange colour.
INGREDIENTS
250g of Smoked Bacon lardons
2 Eggs
20g of chopped Peppers
I’ve just added to the existing controversy of Jollof making by microwaving it (in honour of prepackaged Jollof Rice available in some supermarkets across the UK)
Verdict - It works however it misses the distinctive smoky flavour that’s achieved when cooked in a pot, especially over coal. A great recipe for students and for a quick recipe (provided you have made your Jollof stew)’.
No sooner had I left the above lengthy statement on my post did a few followers highlight the lack of ‘smokiness’ and ‘crispy bottomed’ part of the rice known as ‘Kanzo’.
With this in mind I’ve used the leftover Jollof for this smoky Jollof Rice recipe.
To start making your Jollof Rice you’ll need your Jollof stew, find the recipe below;
JOLLOF STEW RECIPE
Learn how to cook your Jollof Rice perfectly and quickly below;
MICROWAVEABLE JOLLOF RICE RECIPE
METHOD
Watch how to prepare this smoky and delicious Jollof fried rice below;
Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe and share. All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
Jollof Rice has over the years risen in its popularity across the globe thanks to the Naija and Ghana friendly competitiveness and the infamous ‘botched’ attempts (as frowned by the purists) by international companies and famous individuals.
I’ve partaken in reinventing Jollof Rice by the plethora of recipes I’ve created over the years including Jollof Arancini, Sticky Jollof Rice, Omurice etc
A perfect Jollof Rice recipe requires a flavour packed Tomato based sauce which you can find by clicking the link below;
This quick recipe is perfect for students and for individuals who only have microwaves.
Share your thoughts by leaving comments below.
INGREDIENTS
200g of Basmati/ Jasmine Rice
350g of Jollof sauce
500ml of hot water
Salt to taste
METHOD
Watch how to prepare this quick and equally tasty recipe below;
Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe and share ❤️.
All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.
Jollof rice is to a West African what Pasta is to an Italian. There are two basic elements in the making of Jollof rice that one can never deviate from, which are;
It has to have its distinctive deep Orange colour which is derived from using a Tomato and or Red Pepper sauce.
The Tomato and or Red Pepper sauce has to packed with flavours as the Rice absorbs those flavours.
This recipe has respected those two basic principles and has included some herbs and a slight different way of cooking the Jollof Rice for that much added flavour.
Naturally Jollof rice must have a smoky flavour which is derived from the slight burn crust at the bottom of the pan.
Usually Jollof rice is cooked in an open coal fire with a heavy bottomed pan to achieve that smoky flavour.
This recipe uses Waakye leaves ( Thaumatococcus Danielli) which gives this Jollof rice a distinctive aromatic flavour. The sauce used for this dish is the residue of the Egg stew recipe.
See below for the recipe (a must try recipe).
INGREDIENTS
400g of a Tomato based stew (I used the Egg stew recipe for
this)
250g of Extra Long Grain Basmati rice
250ml of Water
20g of fresh Thyme or 1 levelled teaspoon of dried Thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
EXTRA
Waakye or Banana
leaves
Thyme stalks
METHOD
Watch how to create this naturally flavour packed Jollof
rice below;
Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe, leave comments
with your feedback and share.
All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this
blog.
Everything about this recipe screams WHAT! Sticky Jollof rice (which in it self will make ‘purists’ frown) coupled with wrapping it in an omelette. Oya! Let’s see what I’m talking about;
OMURICE
Omurice is a Japanese Fish where fried rice is wrapped in Omelette. Inspired by this I decided to wrap my sticky Jollof rice (a must try recipe) in Omelette to create my own recipe.
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 Africans 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.
I have used Jasmine Rice for this recipe as it adds its aromatic flavour to the dish.
This recipe will surely be approved by the purists since it has the three main components of Jollof Rice . A deep Orange almost red like colour, smoky and flavour packed with natural ingredients.
The base for my Jollof is the flavour packed 48hr Waakye stew which you can emulate below
INGREDIENTS
350g of Jasmine Rice
650g of Waakye Stew or Jollof Stew
150ml of Water or your preferred Stock
1 teaspoonful of powdered African Nutmeg or half a teaspoon of normal Nutmeg
4 Bay leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
Watch how to prepare this smoky and aromatic Jollof Rice Recipe below;
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A few pleasantries with my butcher, as he handed over my purchases, did I notice this African inspired packaging. I told my butcher to hold his thoughts as I quickly picked a pack of the Malawian rice and queried him about it. This was my first time of hearing about this rice. My butcher assured me of its aromatic flavour as I quickly paid for the rice.
It did cost me £4.00 for 1kg. I knew this was expensive as I could get 10kg of Basmati rice for about £13.
My drive home had me thinking, why that price tag? I guessed it had to do with the cost of importing it here.
Upon open the bag, I noticed the aromatic smell and I fell in love there and then. The price tag didn’t matter, it’s much better than Thai Fragrant rice. I decided to make the simple Ghanaian rice porridge. The aroma that filled my Kitchen was a fusion between caramel and baking fresh bread.
I’ve found my perfect short grain ricešš¾
Naturally, I searched for the product online and purchased a few at a cheaper price.
I decided to use the Kilombero rice for this Ghana Jollof as I wanted my Jollof to be aromatic.
I’ve used the short grain type of this rice for the recipe, which has a higher starch content. The starch content gives you a soft pliable rice when cooked.
Let’s start cooking
INGREDIENTS
350g of Kilombero rice
500ml of Vegetable stock or Water
1 tablespoon of a Ginger, Onion and Carom seed blend
280g of Tomato stew (Recipe on my YouTube channel)
1 teaspoonful of Salt to taste
METHOD
Watch how to prepare this aromatic Ghana Jollof rice with Malawian rice below;
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All photos, videos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.
