NIGERIAN JOLLOF VERSUS GHANAIAN JOLLOF: WHICH IS THE BETTER ONE?

Ghana and Nigeria are two passionate West African countries that seem to enjoy hating on each other (Haha). On the social media, they have had several ‘wars’ and debates on which country is better at making specific foods or which is better at football, government etc. But one unending war between these two beautiful nations would be about who makes the best Jollof Rice.

Jollof rice is a burnt-orange colored rice dish popular in the Western countries of Africa. It is such a special meal that rarely would a party be thrown, or an event organized in these countries without Jollof Rice being one of the main event meals. To show you how seriously West Africans, especially Nigerians and Ghanians take Jollof rice, there is even an International Jollof Day! Haha, I kid you not!

For this meal, the cooking process is intricate and the order in which you add the ingredients also matters.

To prepare this sumptuous meal, long grain rice are cooked in a pot of rich, spicy tomato sauce and delicious stock. It is commonly paired with chicken, fish cuts, plantain, vegetable salad and so on.

 

Jollof Rice is believed to have originated from Senegal, Mauritania and Gambia. These countries have an ethnic group known as Wolof and Jollof is believed to be a modified name of that group. In these countres however, Jollof Rice isn’t known as Jollof Rice. It is known as Benachin or Thieboudienne and there is a main difference in the way of preparation. Theirs are cooked with fish and vegetables. So, while Jollof Rice can be traced to these countries, we can see that as the dish travelled across the West African region, there were modifications to the name and to the methods of preparation.

While the Nigerian and Ghanaian jollof rice use similar ingredients, they both differ in taste and flavor.

Nigerian jollof rice is cooked with long-grain parboiled rice, with the main spices being ground tomato, tomato paste, stock, curry powder, thyme, white pepper and bay leaves. 

Ghanaian Jollof is however cooked with perfumed Thai jasmine rice. This is where the main difference lies because this rice offers a different kind of smell and taste to the Jollof. 

Then, the Ghanaian jollof uses more spices than its Nigerian counterpart. For example, ginger and garlic are blended into the pepper base for the Jollof sauce. They also use nutmeg, Rosemary, anise, as well as mixed vegetables. 

The Nigerian Jollof rice is served with meat and other sides like fried plantain, Nigerian salad, coleslaw, moimoi etc while the Ghana jollof rice is served with Shito as toppings, then, fried plantain, meat or fish as sides.

Also, among Nigerians, there’s a consensus that the rice should be burnt just a little to allow for crispiness at the bottom. Many people scurry for the 'bottom pot' of the Jollof Rice pan because it is usually crispy and flavourful. Ghanaian Jollof Rice is usually less smoky and less attention is given to a little part of it being burnt or not.

For the smoky effect, the Nigerian Jollof rice applies a longer cooking process than the Ghanaian Jollof rice. This reacts with the tomato for a smoky, ashy and roasted tomato note giving a savory and delightful character to the rice.

Also, the Ghanaian Jollof has a higher tomato flavor composition and uses less chilies since Ghanaians love tomatoes in their various forms. 

The ingredients are similar. The processes of making them are similar. Except for the different kinds of rice being used, the smoky effect of the Nigerian Jollof, the additional ingredients that Ghana uses, the main similarity between these two methods of cooking jollof rice is the seasoning of the meat that is to be used to enjoy the rice. This determines the quality and maturity of the meat stock and the ultimate flavor and taste of the rice. 

• 4 big Tomatoes
• 2 Onions
• 2 Red bell pepper
• 8 Scotch bonnet peppers
• Oil
• 2 Tomato paste sachets 
• Curry powder
• Dried thyme
• Bay leaves
• Stock (Beef/chicken)
• 3 Stock cubes
• 6 cups of long grain rice
• Salt

Step 1: Wash the tomatoes, peppers and onions. Blend two tomatoes the peppers and one onion. Set the tomato mix aside.

Step 2: Wash the rice repeatedly until the water is clean. Pour in a sieve and allow to drain.

Step 3: Chop the remaining onion and tomatoes thinly. 

Step 4: Heat the oil in a pan and introduce the chopped tomatoes. Stir slightly until the onions start to brown.

Step 5: Add the blended tomato mix. Then, add curry powder, thyme, stock cubes, and bay leaves into the pan. Stor together and allow to cook for 15 minutes. 

Step 6: Add the tomato paste and the sliced tomatoes and allow to simmer on low heat until the moisture reduces significantly and the oil can be seen settling on the surface.

Step 7: Add the drained rice and the stock. Stir evenly and taste for salt. Add two cups of water and cover the pot. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.

Step 8: Stir through with a wooden spoon, reduce the heat to lowest and cover with a foil paper for the remaining moisture in the rice to be absorbed. 

Step 9: Remove from heat when the rice is cooked. Stir through with a wooden spoon and cover. Your yummy Nigerian Jollof Rice is ready!

 

• 4 big Tomatoes
• 2 Onions
• 2 Red bell pepper
• 8 Scotch bonnet peppers
• Oil
• Garlic
• Fresh ginger
• 2 Tomato paste sachets 
• Curry powder
• Dried thyme
• Bay leaves
• Stock (Beef/chicken)
• Nutmeg 
• Bay leaves
• 3 Stock cubes
• 6 cups of Perfumed Thai rice
• Sal

We will repeat the same steps above with a slight variation. 

Step 1: Wash the tomatoes, peppers and onions. Blend the tomatoes, the peppers, garlic, ginger, and onion. Set the mix aside.

Step 2: Wash the perfumed rice repeatedly until the water is clean. Pour in a sieve and allow to drain.

Step 3: Chop the remaining onion thinly

Step 4: Heat the oil in a pan and introduce the chopped tomatoes. Stir slightly until the onions start to brown

Step 5: Add the tomato paste and reduce the heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir while it fries for 5 mins.

Step 6: Add the tomato mix, curry powder, nutmeg, bay leaves, stock cubes and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon. Cook for 20 minutes or until you can see oil instead of water settling on the surface. 

Step 7: Add the stock and rice into the fried sauce. Add 1 cup of water, taste for salt and add more if needed. Allow the rice to come to a boil, then reduce the heat. 

Step 8: Place a sheet of aluminium foil over the rice, then cover the pan. Stir occasionally.

Step 9: Check after 10 mins and stir the rice with a wooden spoon. Let it cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, stir evenly. 

Step 10: Remove from heat, stir with a wooden spoon, put the lid back on and leave for a few minutes before serving.

With just a slight difference in preparation, you can see why Jollof Rice is a big deal to these two African countries, right? Jollof is more than just the ingredients. When well cooked rice and spicy sauce meet, the result is usually the bomb!

If you’re at a party in Nigeria or Ghana, you don’t have to search too long for jollof rice. It finds you. In some cases, you have to be proactive and go after it, because it’s usually the first dish to get maxed out. Haha

As the argument about who has the best jollof continues and appears to be never ending, maybe the answer doesn’t really matter, because a plate of any type of Jollof rice will always be a treat! When you get to hold the a spoon each of the dishes, you can decide for yourself the winner or the loser; the good and the better one.

 

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.