How to make the perfect Party style Jollof Rice and 10 reasons you don't get it right .

Jollof rice is unarguably the most celebrated Dish out of Africa , it is so famous that at least 5 countries have been caught in Jollof wars at one point or the other , each claiming that theirs is the best method .

Nigeria and Ghana are at the forefront of this battle .

Jollof rice is a dish of Rice cooked in the perfect pepper mix and a medley of spices.

Anybody can cook Jollof but not everybody can cook "the Jollof" even seasoned cooks don't always get it right.

For some people Jollof rice means Mixing the cooked rice in Stew , Jokes ! It is more technical than that .

"The Jollof" has to have that distinct taste that is exclusive to parties, people find it hard to recreate this at home.

To get that party taste , people have sworn by different tricks .

Some say it is the pepper mix .

Some say it is cooking with firewood (this can't be true because modern caterers don't use firewood unless it is explicitly specified by the client)

Others say it is the pot used ; this school of thought say it is the locally made Aluminum known as "koko irin" by the yorubas.

Some swear by Bay leaves .

I say it is a combination of the right ingredients, experience and the mood of the god of Jollof .

I have cooked Jollof so many times that I have perfected the art of making Jollof that even the Jollof gods give me a pass everytime .

To get the perfect Jollof everything most be done with precision , every detail should be paid attention to, It is not concotion rice, one step can make or mar the pot of rice.

From my experience this is what you need to do to get the perfect Jollof .

1 . The Kind of Rice : The brand of rice picked is very important when making Jollof Rice, especially if you are making a Large pot .

Good Jollof rice should be Fluffy and non soggy also it should not have a bad smell .

Avoid any rice with a very strong and starchy smell , no matter the ingredients you use if you don't get this right you won't get that party Jollof taste.

Also the rice used should not be a brand that gets mushy when cooked, you can ensure by biting some of the raw grains if it is very hard , it is unlikely it will get mushy when cooked .

2. Do Not Parboil !

This is totally unnnecessary , instead boil water and pour it over the rice and cover for some minutes .

Jollof rice doesn't need too much boiling .

3 . Wash wash wash!!

After covering the rice for about 5 to 10 minutes, make sure you wash till the water comes clear , it shouldn't be cloudy , it must be clear. This is to ensure you wash as much starch as possible off the rice.

Starch would make your rice clump together and you don't want that and also prevent the ingredients from penetrating the grains ,it will also leave your dish with a starchy smell, you don't want any of that.

4. Your Stock :

Be it Beef , Chicken , Turkey. The stock used should be rich.

Season your meat with

Onions

Salt

Seasoning cubes

Curry Masala or just curry

Thyme

Rosemary

Garlic

Ginger

Bay leaves

Nutmeg

Shallots.

Taste the stock and be satisfied with the taste.

Boil your choice of meat in stock without adding water , add water after your meat has boiled for about 10minutes . Add the amount of water that would just be enough to boil your rice later .

5. Oil.

After Frying your Meat or fish save the oil , this is will be used later for the rice , this is one of the secrets of great tasting Jollof , it takes your Jollof rice to another level it won't reach when you use fresh oil.

6. Pepper Mix :

This step is very important because this is where you get the taste and colour .

It should consist of .

1. Shombo ( cayenne pepper)

Tatase ( Red bell pepper)

Ata rodo ( scotch bonnet)

Tomatoes.

Onions .

Shombo gives it the fine colour , Tomatoes sweeten it , onions provides flavour , Rodo is for hotness .

7. Canned Tomtoes Puree : some people say you shouldn't add this to Jollof , do not listen to them.

You need this , always use canned tin tomatoes. Use a trusted brand that doesn't taste sour.

• To get the best out of it , Fry it 1st before your pepper mix , fry it very well, add some water so it doesn't burn.

8. Stew : Reduce the water content in your pepper mix after blending by steaming or straining it and then make your stew , start by frying onions, then tin tomatoes as described above , then your pepper mix , season it very well but don't go over board with the spices and herbs , add your 1/2 of your broth or stock . You need your stew to be very tasty.

9.The Jollof.

What you shouldn't do is pour your stew into the rice, the right way is to pour your rice into your already Boiling pot of stew , add your remaining broth , Try not to add water unless absolutely necessary .

The liquid level shouldn't be more than one inch above the rice , stir gently .

Remember you need steam to cook it.

Turn your cooker to low heat.

Seal pot with foil or a clean sack bag, basically anything that can trap the heat in the pot .

Cover your pot with the lid .

Allow it to steam till all the water content is almost dry then open your pot , add little butter , tomatoes and onions rings .

Seal pot again , if there is still some moisure on the rice don't worry steam will dry it up completely .

10 Let it Burn!!!

It is not Party Jollof if it is not smokey , let that rice Burn , you know it is ready when smoke comes to the surface.

That's it People , your perfect Jollof.