Celebration in an African home CAN NOT happen without the presence of Jollof rice. I mean, come on, what are we (Africans) supposed to eat? Burgers? lol.

Jollof rice is a very common dish prepared in many African countries and each recipe differs depending on the nation. I specifically prepare the Nigerian party jollof rice which I still feel is one of the best recipes out there (not being biased, just stating facts LOL)

Party jollof rice is commonly the most sort after type of rice, because of its very unique taste. Most people feel the unique taste comes from preparation using firewood, but that isn’t always necessarily the case.

For me, it’s impossible to make rice with firewood, since my apartment complex doesn’t necessarily allow one to grill, let alone smoke anything. But I’m going to give you a recipe that comes close to the wonderful taste of party Jollof without any firewood.

Since I was in the party mood yesterday, I decided to prepare myself this awesome dish to celebrate our independence. I posted a few pictures of the food on my instagram and was completely blown away by the number of people who wanted my recipe.

So to not be stingy to my fellow Africans as well as my brothers and sisters of other races/cultures I decided I would put up a blog post showing you guys step-by-step how I prepare this delicious dish.

I’ve been slacking lately on the food posts, but since it’s fall time, I guess it’s only right for me to jump back on the food post wagon. So expect to see more recipes in the future (fingers crossed).

PARTY JOLLOF RICE RECIPE | COOK & PREP TIME: ~ 1 hour 15min

Ingredients: 

• 4 Tablespoons of Canola oil or any oil of your choice
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 4 Fresh tomatoes or one 14.5oz can of diced (no salt) Hunts tomato (I seriously suggest using this brand If you decide to buy canned)
• 1 6oz can Tomato paste
• 4 Red onions
• 2 Red bell peppers
• crayfish (optional, but I love to use it)
• 4 Habanero pepper (scotch bonnet) (put as much or as little as you want, depending on how spicy you want your rice)
• 4 1/2 cups of long-grain parboiled rice
• 2 cups of chicken stock

Spices:

• Maggi or Knorr cubes
• salt
• cayenne pepper and black pepper
• white pepper
• Bay leaves
• curry powder
• garlic or onion powder
• ginger
• thyme leaves