Jollof Rice Ingredient List (+ Secret Ingredients)

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You'll discover all the Ingredients for making Jollof rice plus some Jollof rice secret ingredient list.

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Main Jollof Rice Ingredient List

1. Rice

Of course, rice is the first essential ingredient for making jollof rice. 

The worst thing that can happen to any Jollof rice dish is “sogginess”, so the type of rice used is important. Any long-grain rice would do a perfect job; you can go for long-grain parboiled rice, basmati rice, brown rice, jasmine rice, and so on.

2. Pepper Mix

The second most important ingredient in your jollof rice is your Pepper mix.

There are many ways to get the pepper mix needed in cooking this delicate dish but the killer one is using:

•  3-4 red bell peppers (Tatashe), 
• 2 scotch bonnet peppers (Ata-rodo),
• 3 medium sized tomatoes,
• 1 large red onion,
• 1 clove of garlic and
• 2 fingers of ginger.

You can decide to roast all of the above ingredients in an oven before blending to a thick paste (for that smokey flavour) ...OR... just blend all ingredient straight up to form a paste and you boil to remove all the water.

3. Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is the ingredient that gives us that rich colour associated with Jollof rice and adds its own kind of acidic/sour taste to this dish.

4. Cooking Oil

Cooking oil is a gold standard ingredient in preparing most dishes including jollof rice. 

5. Butter

Butter can be used in place of, or in addition to, cooling oil when making jollof rice for extra flavour.

Pro tip: Butter is a secret ingredient that can be added at the end of your jollof rice cooking. The steam melts the butter, which then gives your jollof rice a really nice look and extra flavour. This tip doesn’t only go for Jollof rice but any rice dish.

6. Red Onions

Onions are in a class of their own. It adds depth, with its distinct flavour and aroma to this dish. There are different types of onions though, but the type most preferable for rice dishes is red onions

7. Protein Source

Of course, the jollof rice dish isn’t complete without any protein to go with it. You can opt for Beef, Chicken or Fish, which are the most popular option. 

Jollof Rice Seasoning Ingredient List

8. Seasoning Cubes

What’s a dish without seasoning cubes? You guessed right...a tasteless dish. Cubes can be added according to taste preference.

9. Bay Leaves

While bay leaf isn’t compulsory, a lot of people swear by it for its subtle flavour that gives your Jollof rice more depth in taste. To get the most from your bay leaves, fry two in your cooking oil before you add your tomato paste.

10. Salt

We have to pay homage to salt because salt is virtually included in every dish. Salt brings a  balance of all the flavours to any dish.

11. Stock

Besides plain water, the stock obtained from cooking your protein of choice can be used in cooking this delicacy. Equal parts should be used in preparing your Jollof rice; for instance, 3 cups of rice requires 2.5 - 3 cups of stock/water.

Jollof Rice Ingredient List Extras

Extra(s) that can be added, but are completely optional are: 

12. Smoked Paprika

Asides from the smokey paprika flavour you get from this spice, it also adds colour to the dish.

13. Ground Nutmeg

 Nutmeg generally has this earthly, “down-to-earth” flavour that comes with it. Some cooks add ground nutmeg to their Jollof rice recipe.

14. Stubb’s / Figaro Mesquite Liquid Smoke

To achieve the smokey flavour that comes with party jollof rice, you can either choose to cook it with firewood, in an oven or on a stovetop but a secret ingredient called  Mesquite liquid smoke also gives it that smokey flavour. A little goes a long way, so please ensure you don’t go overboard with adding it to your rice.

Garnishing Ingredient List For Jollof Rice

15. Carrots

Carrots chopped into small pieces are sometimes added when cooking jollof rice to add colour and nutritional value.

16. Sweet Corn

Sweet corn is also sometimes used to garnish jollof rice to add a sweet and rich flavour

17. Green Beans

This can also be a good addition to jollof rice because it’s nutrient-dense and brings the dish to life with its colour.

18. Steam/ Heat

This is really an important component of making jollof rice. Instead of adding more water to your dish, steam gets jollof rice properly done. It is advisable to maintain a medium to low setting throughout the making of this dish.

Sides List For Jollof Rice

You can decide to complement your jollof rice dish with these common jollof rice sides:

• Coleslaw
• Fried plantain 
• Moi-moi 
• Asun,
• Etc.

How To Cook Jollof Rice And The Ingredients

If you want to learn how to cook jollof rice with the above ingredient list then check out this detailed post: How to make Nigerian Jollof Rice (8 delicious ways)

A few more jollof rice cooking tips: 

It is recommended to cook in a stainless steel pot. It enhances or rather intensifies the flavours of jollof rice, getting it close to the common “Party jollof rice”.

It is also not advisable to parboil your rice before actual cooking because the more time the rice stays combined with the sauce, the more intense the flavours can be. There’s also the advantage of getting your jollof rice looking dry and not sticking together when it’s finally done.