Weeknight jollof rice with roasted vegetables

Jollof rice is a celebration dish across West Africa, and every family has its own version and its own strong opinions about it. This is a weeknight, vegetarian take: rice cooked in a rich, smoky tomato and pepper sauce, topped with a tray of roasted vegetables. It is not my grandmother's jollof, and I say so with respect, but it is the one I make most often.

The sauce is everything

A good jollof starts with a blended base of tomatoes, red peppers, onion and scotch bonnet, cooked down in oil until it is thick, deep red and no longer tastes raw. This takes time, about twenty minutes, and it is the step most people rush. Keep stirring, and let it cook until the oil starts to separate at the edges. That is when you know it is ready.

The rice is only as good as the sauce you cook it in.

Kofi Mensah

Cooking the rice

Long-grain parboiled rice is traditional, because it absorbs the sauce without going mushy. Rinse it well to remove the starch. Once the rice and stock go in, cover the pot tightly, turn the heat right down and leave it alone. Lifting the lid lets out the steam the rice needs.

The slightly crisp, smoky layer that forms on the bottom of the pot is called the bottom pot, and in many families it is the best part.

Everyone's jollof is the best

There is a friendly, long-running argument across West Africa about whose jollof is best, and I am not going to settle it here. Every family has its own recipe, passed down and adjusted over generations, and every one of them is the best, according to that family.

My mother's jollof was the centre of every celebration when I was growing up. She cooked it in a huge pot over a low flame for hours, and the smell told the whole street that there was a party. This weeknight version is quicker and has no meat, but it carries the same smoky, rich flavour that always means home to me.

Before you start

• Blend the sauce ingredients until completely smooth.
• Rinse the rice several times until the water is clear.
• Use a pot with a tight lid. If it is loose, cover it with foil first.
• Roast the vegetables while the sauce cooks to save time.

Ingredients

Serves 6 · Prep 20 min · Cook 60 min · Level Medium

• 2 red peppers, roughly chopped
• 1 tin plum tomatoes (400 g)
• 2 onions, 1 roughly chopped, 1 finely sliced
• ½ scotch bonnet chilli
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 400 g long-grain parboiled rice, rinsed
• 600 ml vegetable stock
• 2 courgettes and 1 aubergine, cut into chunks, for roasting

Method

1. Blend the peppers, tomatoes, chopped onion, scotch bonnet and ginger until smooth.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot and cook the sliced onion for 5 minutes. Add the tomato purée, curry powder and thyme and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the blended sauce and bay leaves. Cook over a medium heat, stirring often, for 20 minutes, until thick and the oil starts to separate.
4. Meanwhile, roast the courgettes and aubergine with a little oil and salt at 220°C for 25 minutes.
5. Stir the rice into the sauce until coated, then add the stock and a good pinch of salt.
6. Bring to the boil, cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 30 minutes without lifting the lid.
7. Fluff the rice with a fork, then serve topped with the roasted vegetables.

Serving

Serve with fried plantain, a simple salad of tomato and cucumber, or a spoonful of spicy pepper sauce. Leftovers reheat well with a splash of water and, in my opinion, taste even better the next day.

Common questions