Jollof rice, also called 'Benachin' meaning
one pot in the
Wolof languageWolof is a language spoken in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania, and is the native language of the ethnic group of the Wolof people. Like the neighboring language Fula, it belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo language family...
, is a popular dish all over
West AfricaWest Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:*Benin...
. It is thought to have originated in
GhanaThe Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa which borders Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
but has since spread to the whole of West Africa, especially
NigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger...
and Gambia amongst members of the
WolofWolof may refer to:* Wolof Empire, a medieval West African state* Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania* Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania...
ethnic group.
There are many variations of Jollof Rice. The most common basic ingredients are: rice, tomatoes and tomato paste, onion, salt, and red pepper.
Jollof rice, also called 'Benachin' meaning
one pot in the
Wolof languageWolof is a language spoken in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania, and is the native language of the ethnic group of the Wolof people. Like the neighboring language Fula, it belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo language family...
, is a popular dish all over
West AfricaWest Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:*Benin...
. It is thought to have originated in
GhanaThe Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa which borders Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
but has since spread to the whole of West Africa, especially
NigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger...
and Gambia amongst members of the
WolofWolof may refer to:* Wolof Empire, a medieval West African state* Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania* Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania...
ethnic group.
There are many variations of Jollof Rice. The most common basic ingredients are: rice, tomatoes and tomato paste, onion, salt, and red pepper. Beyond that, nearly any kind of meat, vegetable, or spice can be added.
Ingredients
The dish consists of
riceRice is the seed of a monocot plant Oryza sativa, of the grass family . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East, South, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies...
,
tomatoThe tomato is a herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family that is typically cultivated for the purpose of harvesting its fruit for human consumption...
es and
tomato pasteTomato paste is a thick paste made from ripened tomatoes with skin and seeds removed. Originally it was an artisan product that is still made the traditional way in parts of Sicily, Southern Italy and Malta. The artisan product is made by spreading out a much reduced tomato sauce on wooden boards...
,
onionOnion is a term used for many plants in the genus Allium. They are known by the common name "onion" but, used without qualifiers, it usually refers to Allium cepa. Allium cepa is also known as the "garden onion" or "bulb" onion...
, salt, spices (such as
nutmegNutmeg or Myristica fragrans is an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia, or Spice Islands. Until the mid 19th century this was the world's only source...
,
gingerGinger is a tuber which is consumed whole as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale....
,
Guinea pepperGuinea pepper is the name for several unrelated pepper-like spices traded from the general region of West Africa:* Aframomum melegueta from the ginger family...
or
cuminCumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to East India.-Etymology:...
) and
chili pepperChili pepper is the vegetable of the plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Botanically speaking, the fruit of capsicums are berries...
, to which optional ingredients can be added such as vegetables, meats and fish.
The cooking method for Jollof rice begins with using
coconut oilCoconut oil is extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconut harvested from the coconut palm . Throughout the tropical world it has provided the primary source of fat in the diets of millions of people for generations. It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry...
to fry finely-chopped onions, tomatoes and ground pepper (plus any other optional ground or chopped spices); adding
stockStock is a flavoured water. It forms the basis of many dishes, particularly soups and sauces. Stock is prepared by simmering various ingredients in water, including some or all of the following:...
; and then cooking the rice in this mixture so it takes up all the liquid. The rice takes on a characteristic red colour from the mixture. It can be served with cooked meat, chicken, fish, tofu or vegetables separately on the plate or they can be stirred in at the end. It is often served with fried
plantainMusa paradisiaca, the plantain is a crop in the genus Musa and is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana ....
and
saladSalad is any of a wide variety of dishes including: green salads; vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They include a mixture of cold or hot foods, often including raw vegetables and/or fruits.Green salads...
.
Optional ingredients can include
garlicAllium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, and chive. Garlic has been used throughout recorded history for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that...
,
peaA pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the legume Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Although it is botanically a fruit, it is treated as a vegetable in cooking...
s,
thymeThyme is a well known herb; in common usage the name may refer to* any or all members of the plant genus Thymus,* common thyme, Thymus vulgaris, and some other species that are used as culinary herbs or for medicinal purposes.-History:...
, African
nutmegNutmeg or Myristica fragrans is an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia, or Spice Islands. Until the mid 19th century this was the world's only source...
, tea-bush leaves, partminger (a herb of the
basilBasil , of the Family Lamiaceae , is a tender low-growing herb.Basil is a culinary herb prominently featured in Italian cuisine, and also plays a major role in the Southeast Asian cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The plant tastes somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, sweet...
family),
curry powderCurry powder is a mixture of spices of widely varying composition, that is a classic of Indian cuisine. In the Western world Curry Powder mixtures tend to have a fairly standardized taste, whereas in its original there are many different curry flavors....
.
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