Jollof Rice and Small Chops

A lot of Nigerians say, “any gathering without jollof rice is just a meeting”. I personally won’t find it funny if I get to a Nigerian event and there’s no jollof rice (like for real!) and I believe I can say the same for a lot of Nigerians. Although history has shown that jollof rice originated from Republic of Senegal, other west African countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia and Cameroon have adopted it. It’s almost impossible to attend a Nigerian gathering/event that doesn’t have jollof rice on the menu, at least in my twenty-five years on earth I’ve never experienced that. It’s like an abomination, REALLY!

So, you may be wondering what exactly is the hype of this jollof rice? Honey, words will fail me but maybe the recipe and some pictures will help you understand the greatness that it is.

Because this is an adopted meal, we cook it differently from the Senegalese and the other countries that adopted it. I am going to share my own recipe but it’s safe to call it the Nigerian jollof rice recipe, trust me I’ve done my research.

Jollof rice

Ingredients:

5 Red bell peppers, 3 onions, 4 habanero, 3 tomatoes,

1 small, canned tomato paste, vegetable oil, bay leaves,

thyme, curry powder, salt, chicken stock cube

stock (vegetable, chicken or beef)

and parboiled rice.

Prep:

The first thing I prepare is the pepper mix, this is when I decide if I don’t want to make it spicy, mild or very spicy. The latter is my go-to. I blend the bell pepper, 2 out of the 3 onions, the tomatoes and the habaneros together. Transfer the mixture to a pot and boil on medium-low heat without covering the pot. I boil the mixture till it reduces in size; the goal is to evaporate as much water as you can from the mix.

Once that is done, I pour the mix into a separate bowl, using the same pot and maintaining the medium-low heat, I heat the vegetable oil, slice the remaining onion, pour into the oil and fry till its soft. The curry powder and thyme go in and I fry till their flavor is released. Then I add the tomato paste and fry for about 3 minutes. It’s time to add the pepper mix, chicken stock cube, salt and some bay leaves. I allow to fry for about 10 minutes.

Then I add the stock, I mostly use chicken stock. I then add the rinsed parboiled rice, cover with foil and allow the steam to cook the rice. Occasionally stirring the rice so it’s well mixed with doesn’t burn. The bottom part of the rice usually burns so it’s important to stir occasionally. And just like that, the greatness that is jollof rice is achieved. Please note that this recipe can be modified but this is typically how its cooked.

It's usually served with grilled chicken/fish and fried plantains.

A king or queen can easily be identified by their crown or mantle, but there are other components of their outfits and accessories that makes you aware that you are in the presence of royalty. In this case those other accessories are the small chops. Jollof rice is the king/queen the small chops are not necessarily needed to glorify the king/queen but when they are there, they do just that.

Small chops are finger food and are but not limited to barbecued goat meat (and sometime peppered), puff puff, spring rolls, chin chin, sausage rolls, meat pies, peppered gizzard and fried plantains.

Those are but a few that I know of. I know to a lot of other cultures jollof rice will technically be a meal and honestly, it is but hey, there really is no gathering in a Nigerian community without jollof rice, no matter how short the event is. It’s just what is.