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Jollof Rice Recipe

A tomato-based rice dish cooked with spices, stock, and long grain rice.

From the NHS (UK) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Jollof Rice Recipe

4 plates
Time15 to 20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the tomato base

  1. Liquidise the tomatoes, onion and pepper in a blender or food processor (or chop very finely).

  2. Tip the mixture into a large saucepan, then cover and cook over medium‑high heat for 6 to 8 minutes.

  3. Add the tomato purée, bay leaf, garlic, curry powder and thyme.

  4. Simmer for a further couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the stock or water and bring to boil.

Cook the rice

  1. Once boiling, add the rice and stir well, then turn down the heat and cover with a lid.

  2. Allow to simmer over a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

  3. Check and stir occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid to cook the rice, adding a little extra water if needed to make sure it does not burn.

  4. Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and leave to cool for a minute or two.

Serve

  1. Ladle between 4 plates and enjoy.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

620Calories
39 gProtein
19 gFat
74 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Chicken100g cooked165
Vegetable1 tbsp (14g)120
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Plum1 medium (66g)30
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Turmeric1 tsp ground (3g)9
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the NHS (UK).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Clove + thymetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,108 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  3. Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  4. Pepper + thymetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,585 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Garlic + thymetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,608 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Plum tomatoes
Provide the main liquid and acidity that flavour the rice base.
Tomato purée
Concentrates tomato flavour and adds depth and colour to the sauce.
Long grain white rice
Absorbs the seasoned stock and cooks to separate, tender grains.
Stock
Supplies the cooking liquid that the rice absorbs, carrying the seasoning through each grain.
Onion
Builds savoury sweetness as it softens into the tomato base.

The step that matters

Keeping enough liquid while the rice simmers. Rice absorbs liquid as it cooks, and too little leaves it scorched or hard on the bottom of the pan. Checking and adding a little water keeps the grains evenly cooked.

Swap the plum

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, pepper, tomato, garlic, clove, thyme, chicken):

  1. Limefits better
  2. Avocadofits better
  3. Lemonfits better
  4. Plumthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, pepper, tomato, garlic, clove, thyme, chicken. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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