As explained in yesterday's post, I'm doing Ghana and Nigeria back-to-back because of their rivalry when it comes to who makes the best jollof rice. I wanted to make sure I made two separate posts to give each country their due, instead of just doing a joint post.
The Nigerian version of this dish is very similar to the Ghanaian version, but one key difference is that while the Ghanaian version uses basmati or jasmine rice, the Nigerian version uses long grain rice that is parboiled. I've never parboiled rice before, and the recipe I was using wasn't super helpful in terms of amounts and time, so I was very surprised that it actually worked out great! I's pretty simple--you boil the rice with about 4 times as much water until the rice is somewhere in that not-quite-done range. It shouldn't be crunchy, but it shouldn't be soft either. It's kind of a chewy, rubbery texture. You then have to strain it and rinse it in cold water so it stops cooking.
Just like the Ghanaian version, this version starts with sauteed onions. However, the recipe I used also called for Nigerian curry powder and thyme. I had some West African curry seasoning that I think is close enough. From what I've read online it seems the ingredients were pretty authentic.
Once the onions are done cooking, in goes the tomato stew. This version is mostly just tomatoes, tomato paste, and water. This is another departure from the Ghanaian version, which used ginger and garlic in the tomato base.
Once enough of the acid-y taste of the tomatoes is cooked out, the rice is added along with just enough water to cover. In this version, since the rice has been parboiled, you don't want to add too much water because you don't want it to get soggy. You basically just want it to finish cooking and soak up the flavor of the tomato broth.
I served this version with some roasted veggies on the side, since there were none in the recipe and I felt the meal needed a bit more than just rice. Both versions called for using chicken as well, but I naturally left that out. All in all, the two versions didn't taste wildly different but they did have distinct characteristics, with the Ghanaian version reminding me more of a jambalaya (more stew-like and the addition of bell pepper) and the Nigerian version reminding me of the simple red rice that I remember eating with sausage for dinner and school lunches growing up.
So for now, I won't be weighing in on which version is better, especially since I haven't eaten any made by a Nigerian or a Ghanaian!
Recipes Used: Nigerian Jollof Rice
Comments