Classic Nigerian Jollof in the the Instant Pot
A Jollof Rice or Nigerian Jollof is an amazing dish from Nigeria and enjoyed in various forms across sub-Saharan Africa. Although, I have used the words Jollof Rice here to give you context we really should not do that.
It is much like saying Naan Bread or Chai Tea. In these dishes the second word is repetitive and not needed. So strictly speaking this should be called Jollof.
My Nigerian Jollof Memories
This recipe brings back memories of some early years in Africa. My family lived over a period of 12 years, in Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Zambia. Food memories come in flashes, from their stay in these countries. I have visited all extensively but lived only in some of them. To ensure consistency, I studied in a residential school in India for a better part of schooling years. Anyway, I digress, let us circle back to this jollof.
It is not something my mother cooked, but something my nanny brought from home. I always got my share from her. Sneaking it in along with other things that mom left for me to eat.
My Instant Pot Version
Today, done in the instant pot this dish hit an great home run. The flavors are simple, powerful and just so magical. If you are like me, you will probably want something else on the side but it is traditionally the main deal. Once you make a large batch of it, you will realize why. The rice relies on a few key ingredients to develop this absolutely powerful and amazing flavor. Broth, tomatoes, curry powder, peppers and dried thyme.
Cooking this brought back memories of a place that existed in my life but now seems to far away. I have lived in East Africa and West Africa and would love to get back there with the children. And of course, at this point the children would be happy if we took a trip across to Connecticut. But seriously, you have not not seen nature if you have not seen it the African way. I have tweaked and updated this recipe as some of you were having trouble with working it in the instant pot.
I have tested and tweaked this recipe to retain the original flavors, there are few things to keep in mind to get the best flavors from the recipe.
Essential Ingredients in the Nigerian Jollof
- Do use a good quality broth it is essential for the depth of flavor.
- Not all curry blends are the same, to get the right flavor you do need an island style mixture, such as my Jamaican Curry Blend. Yes, also available on Amazon.
- I have subbed the scotch bonnet with red spicy cayenne peppers, do use scotch bonnet chilies if you can find them.
Tips And Trouble Shooting the Joloff
- Blend the tomatoes and peppers like I have done, it will permeate even flavor for your rice. It does not have to be a super smooth puree.
- Please make sure that with the puree and the rice you have 1 cup of liquid that is reasonably thin, it will absorb the rice nicely. In my recipe, this is the broth.
- The instant pot version while hands-off is probably a more advanced take on instant pot cooking, so check out the stove top version as well.
- To keep the recipe vegan, you can finish with a nice dollop of coconut oil.
How to Enjoy the Nigerian Jollof
This dish is traditionally served with a Nigerian style salad, sliced cucumbers and boiled eggs. Some more complex accompaniments can be this Nigerian Lamb Stew and or Coconut Chicken Curry.
A gorgeous vegetarian or vegan take on classic Nigerian Jollof. A perfect meal that is so easily put together.
Ingredients
- 1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped and seeded
- 2 small red bird-eye chilies (adjust to taste)
- 2 onions, thinly sliced divided
- 3 tomatoes, chopped or 1/2 can of diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 cups Basmati or other long grained rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon Jamaican Curry powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter, ghee or coconut oil to finish
Instructions
- Place the red bell pepper, birds eye chilies, half the onion and chopped tomatoes in a blender or food processor and process into a puree. This is about 1 and 1/4 cups of liquid.
- If it is less adjusting the amount of broth.
- Turn the instant pot or electric pressure cooker into saute mode. Add in the sliced onions and cook until translucent and beginning to turn golden.
- Turn off the sauté mode and add in the rice, bay leaf, curry powder and thyme and stir well. Stir in the prepared bell pepper puree. This should generously cover the rice on hand.
- Stir in the broth and mix well work the broth in an deglaze the pot. Add in salt to taste.
- Set to the rice mode and allow a natural release. Remove the cover and add in the butter, ghee, or coconut oil.
Notes
Stove Top Variation
To proceed with the recipe on stove top continue with the instructions as indicated above. You do not need to turn the stove off after adding the rice, just reduce the temperature to low.
Increase the amount of broth to 2 cups and cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.
Stir in the butter, ghee or oil.
Instant Pot Nigerian Lamb Stew - Spice Chronicles
[…] made this Nigerian Lamb Stew a while ago, to match with this Jollof. With a few years and several childhood visits to various parts of Africa, I am always nostalgic […]
CJ
Nice taste combination and looks great. However, I ran into problems: the rice was perfectly cooked, but the underside of the IP was burned pretty badly. The burning smell already started pretty early in the process, even before the timer started. On my IP’s (the most common model) rice mode it uses low pressure for 14 minutes, so pressure release is not applicable and the rice was ready directly after cooking.
The burning was a letdown seeing how many ingredients were ruined, and time… I was pretty sure I stirred really well before cooking and I even use more liquid as the tomato/bell pepper mix yielded more than 1 1/4 cup.
Next time I will use more broth or use the stovetop method. Other suggestions welcome. 🙂
PS: the recipe does not indicate when to add the curry powder, I just added it together with the broth.
rinkub@aol.com
Hello! Thank you for your feedback. Well, I am surprised that your instant pot continued cooking, if it was burning as it is programmed to turn off when the burn starts. Well, actually after 14 minutes, there is still pressure built up even on low pressure. I will test again, and feedback helps me perfect recipes. Thank you for trying my blog.
Marcus
Mine keeps burning. I don’t know why.
rinkub@aol.com
Hi Marcus:
I will take a look at this again.
Rinku
Brolin
At which point do you add the curry powder? With the thyme?
rinkub@aol.com
Yes, thanks for asking!
MBBinSac
I’ve made other rice dishes in the instant pot, like Jambalaya, and one recommendation is to put the rice in last and make sure it’s wet, but not to stir before pressure cooking. Main advice is to spread evenly and gently press down into the liquid. Mix well after cooking. Could this help?