Our Very Own Ghanaian Jollof

So I come from Ghana, a country in West Africa and the continent of Africa. Some delicacies are pertinent to us as Ghanaians and one of such is jollof rice. I would like to share the recipe for those who want to try it out to have a go at it. Then again in case you find yourself in Ghana, apart from our friendly and welcoming nature, our delicious foods also set us apart, hence do not hesitate to request a plate of our delicious jollof rice.

So you want to try out our delicious jollof rice with fried chicken/shredded meat? Let's take a tour on that.

Ingredients needed

• 2 cups of rice
• Cooking oil
• 400 grams of Tomato puree
• Bell pepper
• 3 large Onions
• Spices (garlic, ginger, nutmeg, rosemary, bale leaf)
• Mackerel
• Salt
• Chicken pieces or shredded meat
• vegetables (green pepper, carrots, green beans)

Procedure

1. Blend onion, ginger, garlic, and bell peppers
2. Wash chicken/shredded meat, marinate with blended spices, salt and steam.
3. Take out chicken/shredded meat from the stock and set apart to be fried.
4. Put oil on fire to fry steamed chicken/shredded meat.
5. Fry 'til golden brown and take out of oil.
6. Slice onion and pour sliced onion in oil, fry for a minute or two (do not overcook onion to lose the needed nutrients).
7. Pour in some of the blended spices (onion, garlic, ginger and pepper) and fry for about 7 - 10 minutes or 'til most of the water evaporates.
8. Pour in the tomato puree and keep on low heat 'til almost all the water is gone.
9. Pour in the mackerel and keep on low heat.
10. Add in the spices and allow to simmer for sometime.
11. Pour in your rice, chicken/meat stock (from the steaming process), add salt to taste.
12. Mix thoroughly and keep on low heat.
13. Cover with a clean napkin, paper towel, or foil to enable the vapor seep through and cook the rice.
14. Check on it every now and then. Turn the rice from side to side to avoid burning.
15. Keep repeating number 12 until all the rice is tender and properly cooked. Caution: if you do not do this step well you will end up having some of the rice uncooked and this will make eating the food unpleasant.
16. Add in veggies/sweet-corn/garden peas (optional) or shredded fried meat and let it cook for about 4 minutes and your delicious Ghanaian jollof is ready to be enjoyed.
17. Dish out your jollof rice and add salad/coleslaw with the fried chicken and treat your taste buds to the delicious taste of Ghanaian jollof.

Try it out and let me know just how it turned out and if you love it, don’t forget to share the recipe or make it a point to prepare it one weekend and invite friends and family over. Otherwise just catch the next flight to Ghana and I bet you our special Ghanaian jollof will keep you here forever.

This is the traditional way of preparing our very own delicious Ghanaian jollof. However, in the face of our fast paced and technological era, a new way of preparation which seem very simple and still produces the same result has been invented for those who do not want to go all the way. But in order to not confuse you, my readers, make use of this first procedure and let me know how it turns out. After you have mastered this one, we shall look at the simplest and easiest way of preparing the Ghanaian jollof. Until we meet again in this class, try your hands at the procedure and send comments as well as images of what you were able to cook. I wish you guys all the best as you try your hands on something new the Ghanaian way.