Basmati Jollof Rice, a fantastic African side dish bursting with big flavours. It's a wonderful accompaniment to any roast or roast alternatives, and it makes a lovely everyday dish. Unlike the traditional recipes that call for long-grain rice, this jollof rice with basmati is light and quick to cook, and absolutely delicious.
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A staple food in many African countries, jollof rice is a hearty, flavour-packed rice dish that is comforting and flavourful, and can be served as side dish or main dish if you add meat, fish or extra veggies / plant-based protein to it.
Cooking this rice with basmati, rather than long-grain rice makes the dish lighter and fluffier, but it can be tricky to achieve perfection if the step-by-step instructions aren't followed closely.
That's because basmati can turn mushy really easily if too much liquid is added to it, and it's cooked for longer than necessary. My jollof recipe uses the same tomato & pepper base and has chicken stock/broth added to it to cook the rice until fluffy.
To achieve perfect results, the peppery base has to be reduced really well into a thick paste, so the rice absorbs the flavour, rather than the liquid, as otherwise the ratio rice to liquid isn't right anymore.
Plus, reducing the tomato and pepper mixture is what makes this dish so special, the deep, rich flavours that can't be achieved without a proper cooking. It's a similar technique used for my Turkish Bulgur Pilaf, where the veggie based in reduced before bulgur wheat is added.
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- Note!
- Ingredients overview - the base
- Step-by- step photos and instructions - the base
- Ingredients overview - the rice
- Ingredients overview - the garnish
- Step-by-step photos and instructions - the rice
- Expert tips
- What to serve with jollof rice
- Other rice side dishes
- Basmati Jollof Rice
Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview - the base
- red onion - you can swap it for regular onion or shallots
- tomatoes -I used 4 tomatoes on the vine, you can replace them with 6 cherry tomatoes or 2 roma tomatoes
- red chilli pepper - traditionally jollof is made with scotch bonnet, but I couldn't find any where I live, so I used a regular red chilli pepper, which is more family friendly, as it's not as hot. You can replace it with anything else you have available
- red bell pepper - or capiscum
Step-by- step photos and instructions - the base
- peel and quarter the onion, deseed the red chilli pepper and chop it roughly
- chop the tomatoes and red pepper
- add them to a blender or food processor along with the water, and blitz well
Ingredients overview - the rice
- basmati rice - I used traditional basmati rice, other types could change the cooking time, liquid ratio
- chicken stock / broth - I used a Knorr chicken stock pot which I dissolved in hot water, you can also use cubed stock or buillon
- hot curry powder - for a milder version, you can use medium curry powder
- garlic, ginger & onion - a fragrant base for the jollof
- dried thyme and bay leaves - add a lovely subtle flavour to the dish, oregano could be a good addition too
- oil - I used sunflower oil, classic jollof recipes may use palm oil
- concentrated tomato paste - it's a main ingredient, adds colour and has a natural sweetness to it
- fresh parsley - to garnish
- salt & pepper - to taste
Ingredients overview - the garnish
- butter - I used salted butter for extra flavour
- tomatoes - I had tomatoes on the vine, anything else works too
- red onion - peeled and cut julienne, add colour and flavour
Step-by-step photos and instructions - the rice
- heat up the oil in a large pan, add the peeled and chopped onion, and fry it until golden
- add the peeled and chopped garlic and ginger, and stir for 30 seconds so they can release their flavours
- add the curry powder and tomato paste and give it a good stir
- pour over the tomato and pepper base, and place a lid on the pan
- leave it to cook for 20 minutes or until the mixture is reduced into a thick paste
- rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear
- add it to the pan together with the stock, give it a good stir, then place the lid on the pan and leave it to cook undisturbed until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is light
- once the rice is ready, scatter the cubed butter, tomato slices, chopped parsley and peeled onion cut julienne, and place the lid back on the pan for an extra 5 minutes so the rice can soak up the flavours
- use a fork to fluff up the rice
Expert tips
Rinse the rice well before adding it to the dish, that will remove the extra starch and make the rice fluffier. Drain the rice well, we don't need any extra liquid that could upset the ratio rice to liquid.
Cook the base properly, this is the flavour foundation. The sauce has to be thick, not watery, and oil starting to separate around the edges. Undercooked base will result in a bland, mushy rice.
The ratio rice to liquid I followed is 1 cup rice to 1 ¼ cup liquid, this is my golden rule for cooking fluffy basmati rice anytime. Season the sauce well, making any adjustments before adding the rice.
Cook the rice undisturbed without removing the lid, the steam helps with a light, fluffy rice. I recommend using a glass lid so you can see when the liquid is absorbed. Once the rice is cooked, remove the pan from the heat, but keep the lid on for an extra 5 minutes.
Rice that catches a little bit at the bottom is actually delicious, but make sure it's not scorched. Use a fork to fluff up the rice, and enjoy!
What to serve with jollof rice
Served as a side dish for a rice roast, my favourite would be: butterfly peri peri chicken, crispy fried chicken , chicken wings, or air fryer crispy chicken drumsticks.
My fried green plantains are another excellent choice, plantains are a favourite paring with jollof, cooked in various ways.
You can also serve it with fish, I absolutely love baked seabass, baked skate wings and fried cornmeal cod.
Other rice side dishes
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Basmati Jollof Rice
Ingredients
- 250 g regular basmati rice (1 ¼ cup)
- 400 ml chicken stock (broth 1 ½ cup)
- 1` onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 cm fresh ginger ( 1 inch)
- 3 tablespoon double concentrated tomato paste
- 65 ml sunflower oil (¼ cup)
- 1 tablespoon hot curry powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
The base
- 4 tomatoes on the vine
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 red onion
- 1 red chilli pepper
- 125 ml water (½ cup)
To garnish
- 2 tomatoes on the vine
- ½ red onion
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 30 g butter (2 tbsp)
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Instructions
- To make the base, peel and quarter the onion, deseed the red bell pepper and red chilli pepper and chop them roughly.
- Quarter the tomatoes, and add them to a blender together with the rest of the ingredients, then blitz to a smooth texture.
- For the rice, heat up the oil, peel and chop the onion, and add it to the pan with a good pinch of salt.
- Fry the onion until golden.
- Add the peeled and chopped garlic and ginger, and cook them for 30 seconds to release their flavours.
- Add the hot curry powder, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper and tomato paste and stir well.
- Pour in the tomato base, place a lid on the pan, and leave it to cook on a medium heat until the mixture is reduced to a thick paste, stirring occasionally, and the oil starts to separate around the edges.
- Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear.
- Drain the rice well, and add it to the reduced tomato paste together with the chicken stock.
- Place the lid on and cook it on a low to medium heat until all the liquid is evaporated.
- Once the rice is cooked, remove the pan from the heat, but keep the lid on for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the sliced tomatoes, onion cut julienne and cubed butter together with the chopped parsley.
- Use a fork to fluff up the rice, then place the lid back on for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Serve immediately!
Video
Notes
- Cook the base properly, this is the flavour foundation. The sauce has to be thick, not watery, and oil starting to separate around the edges. Undercooked base will result in a bland, mushy rice.
- The ratio rice to liquid I followed is 1 cup rice to 1 ¼ cup liquid, this is my golden rule for cooking fluffy basmati rice anytime. Season the sauce well, making any adjustments before adding the rice.
- Cook the rice undisturbed without removing the lid, the steam helps with a light, fluffy rice. I recommend using a glass lid so you can see when the liquid is absorbed. Once the rice is cooked, remove the pan from the heat, but keep the lid on for an extra 5 minutes.
- Rice that catches a little bit at the bottom is actually delicious, but make sure it's not scorched. Use a fork to fluff up the rice, and enjoy!
Nutrition
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