My mother knows every time I come home there needs to be a hot plate of jollof rice and fried plantains waiting for me. I’m not spoiled, just a humble product of a proud Ghanaian family that makes cooking an art. There are so many amazing dishes I grew up on– the most known being “fufu”, but rice dishes have always been close to my heart.
Jolloff, like any recipe, can be switched up and adjusted to preference. Some use chicken, others use beef, but all have a mix of tomato sauce and rice.
Below is a simple and tasty way to make this traditional dish:
Ingredients:
Olive Oil — 1/4 cup
Corned Beef– 1 can
Water or stock — 5 cups
Onions, chopped — 2
Garlic, minced — 3-4 cloves
Brown rice — 3 cups
Tomato paste — 1/4 cups
Tomatoes, chopped — 2 cups
Black eyed peas or green beans– 1 cup
Cayenne pepper– to taste
Salt and nutmeg to taste
Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil over medium-high flame in a large pot. Brown chopped onions and garlic. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, cayenne pepper and corned beef. Let them simmer. Add salt and nutmeg for taste.
2. Cook brown rice in a separate pot for 25 minutes.
3. Combine sauce mixture and brown rice in a pot. Add black beans (or green peas), carrots and water to the mix. Cook mixture until water has evaporated and rice is soft.
4. Serve with vegetables and/or roasted chicken.
