Jollof rice: a home recipe with a bot prompt to adapt it

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 3 cups (about 600 g) long-grain parboiled rice
• 4 plum tomatoes (about 400 g)
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded
• 1-2 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers (fewer for mild)
• 2 medium onions (1 for blending, 1 sliced)
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) neutral oil
• 3 Tbsp (50 g) tomato paste
• 3-3½ cups (720-840 ml) chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt, plus bouillon to taste
• 1 Tbsp butter (optional)

Steps

1. Blend tomatoes, bell peppers, scotch bonnet and 1 onion until smooth. Simmer in a wide pot, uncovered, 20-25 min, stirring, until thick and reduced by about a third.
2. In a large heavy pot, heat the oil and fry the sliced onion 4-5 min until soft. Add the tomato paste and fry 3-5 min, stirring, until it darkens.
3. Add the reduced pepper base, curry powder, thyme, bay leaves, salt and bouillon. Fry 10-15 min until the oil rises to the top and it no longer tastes raw.
4. Rinse the rice in cool water until it runs mostly clear. Stir it into the base, then add stock until it just covers the rice.
5. Cover tightly (foil under the lid helps), turn heat to low and cook 25-35 min. Stir gently from the bottom once or twice; add a splash of stock if it dries before the rice is tender.
6. When the rice is tender and the liquid is gone, add butter, turn off heat and rest 5 min covered. A little toasting on the bottom gives the prized smoky "party" flavor; do not let it burn.

Substitutions

• Rice: Ghanaian-style jollof often uses jasmine or basmati; use less stock (about 2¾ cups) and check earlier.
• Heat: leave the scotch bonnet whole and remove it before serving for a milder pot.
• Stock: water plus bouillon works; vegetable stock keeps it vegetarian.
• Oil: any neutral oil; some cooks use a little palm oil for color and flavor.
• Protein: serve with fried or grilled chicken, beef or fish cooked separately.

Food safety for this dish

Poultry served with jollof must reach 165°F (74°C); beef 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest; fish 145°F. Reheat leftover rice to 165°F and refrigerate it within 2 hours, because cooked rice left warm can grow Bacillus cereus.

Safe temperatures (FoodSafety.gov)

Use a food thermometer in the thickest part, not touching bone. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F). Cooked rice cools fast in a shallow container. Source: FoodSafety.gov safe minimum internal temperatures, USDA FSIS leftovers.

Copy this prompt to adapt the recipe

Here is my jollof rice recipe for 6: [paste ingredients and steps].
Adapt it for [number] people and [my situation: e.g. no scotch bonnets / pressure cooker / vegetarian / low sodium / what I have in my pantry].
Keep quantities in grams and US measures and keep the technique that makes it taste right.
Tell me what changes in flavor or texture with each swap.
Include FoodSafety.gov safe internal temperatures for any meat, poultry or fish.
Say when something varies by region or family rather than calling one version the only authentic one.

How we wrote this

This is one home-style version written to help you start, not the definitive recipe. Families, regions and countries cook it many ways, and those differences are part of the dish. If you can, learn from West African cooks, cookbook authors and restaurants, and credit them when you share.

Checked Oct 30, 2026. Temperatures from FoodSafety.gov. Quantities are tested home-kitchen ranges; adjust salt and heat to taste.