This is a quick jollof rice and plantain recipe.

Jollof rice origin

Jollof rice is a popular rice dish particularly in Africa and most recently it has gained worldwide fame. Jollof rice origin can be found in West Africa and at the moment Nigerian Jollof rice recipe and jollof rice recipe from Ghana seems to be the popular ones.

Regardless, Jollof rice has unique attributes that makes it instantly standout amongst other rice recipe. Attributes such are;

• Its red-ish appearance
• Its flavourful aroma
• Delicious taste

In this fitness era where everyone want to be healthy in order to be able to live their best lives, many people often ask questions like; is jollof rice healthy?

The fact is, jollof rice is healthy. Especially when eaten with sources of protein or foods such as jollof rice and chicken, jollof rice and fish, jollof rice and beef and jollof rice and plantain.

Just like many other foods, what could make jollof rice unhealthy is the excessive use of ingredients such as cooking oil, butter, salt, seasoning etc.

For this jollof rice quick recipe I will be using ofada rice. Ofada rice is brown rice that is farmed in a town called ofada town in Ogun state Nigeria, hence the name.

This type of rice is very popular in Nigeria because it is unpolished which means that many of its nutrients are still intact. It is commonly eaten with its signature sauce which is called Ayamase Sauce

Nowadays, buying ofada rice is very easy as there are so many business listings online where you can place your order. All you need to do is switch on the location on your mobile phone and type “ofada rice near me” and you will have so many options to choose from. For more on how to cook ofada rice Click here

Jollof Rice Ingredients

1 cup ofada rice

5 pieces bonga fish/ shawa fillet/ agbodo

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon seasoning

1 teaspoon curry

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon rosemary (optional)

3 tablespoon groundnut oil ( you can use any vegetable oil of your choice)

4 cups water

3 tomatoes

2 scotch bonnet pepper (ata rodo)

2 Cayenne pepper (shombo)

1 medium sized onions

Fried Plantains Ingredients

250ml vegetable oil

2 plantains

Jollof Rice Cooking Procedure

• Clean the tomatoes, peppers and onions with clean water and blend to a not too smooth paste
• Peel the skin of the bonga fish
• Clean the peeled fish in clean water and set aside
• Clean rice with clean water until the water is clean and not dirty

ofada rice is usually very dusty so you have to wash it multiple times in clean water until the water you are using to clean it is clean and not dirty. It is advisable to do this atleast 4-5 times.

• Pour the clean ofada rice in a pot and add 2 cups of water
• Parboil for 5 minutes and drain the water
• Set the parboiled rice aside
• Add 3 tablespoon of groundnut oil in a clean pot and heat up briefly
• Then add the tomatoes and pepper paste
• Add the peeled and cleaned bonga fish, curry, thyme, rosemary, salt, seasoning powder
• Mix well and allow to fry for 2-3 minutes
• Add 2 cups of water
• Add the parboiled ofada rice and mix well so that the fried ingredients do not settle
• Cook for 20 minutes or till rice attains your preferred softness
• And Jollof ofada rice is ready.

Fried Plantains

In Nigeria, fried plantains are called dodo. The best time to fry plantain is when jollof rice is ready. Infact, whenever you want to combine fried plantains with any food, it is best to fry the plantains last.

Unless you have the superhuman self-control of not tasting your fried plantains until you are ready to eat. If not, kindly fry the plantains last because you will start by tasting one or two fried plantain and 20 minutes later you have finished everything.

Yes fried plantains are so deliciously addictive that you will finish everything before you finish cooking your rice, beans or any food you wanted to combine it with.

I stated the ingredients earlier so I will just go on to the cooking procedure

How to Fry plantains

• Peel the plantains and slice the into your preferred size
• Pour vegetable oil in a frying pan and allow it heat up on high heat
• Put the sliced plantains into the hot oil
• Fry for plantains for 30 seconds to 1minute
• Turn and fry both sides
• Fried plantains is ready.