Sierra Leonean jollof rice
Maria Bradford uses a medley of spices – grains of selim, cumin and coriander – and her signature West African pepper blend in her Sierra Leonean jollof rice recipe. At her Sevenoaks restaurant Shwen Shwen, she serves it with roasted carrots and hispi cabbage glazed with shito and rof: a vibrant, bright green West African sauce. It is often used as a marinade for fish or chicken and is excellent to finish this jollof rice with some freshness.
In Sierra Leone, you'll always be served jollof rice with a stew alongside – and Maria's ox cheek stew is the perfect accompaniment.
Maria says: 'Jollof, or jollof rice, is a rice dish from West Africa. The origins of jollof rice can be traced to the Senegambian region that was ruled by the Wolof or Jolof Empire in the 14th century. Although these days most countries in West Africa have their own version of jollof rice, it is a widely accepted fact that Sierra Leonean jollof is the best in the whole of West Africa. Ask any Sierra Leonean and they will tell you that is true. However, this is not just any jollof. This is Shwen Shwen jollof and I have added in some additional spices.'
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
West African pepper blend
- 2 1/2 tsp grains of paradise
- 2 tbsp of black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp of white peppercorns
- 1 tbsp of cubeb pepper
- 3 tbsp of allspice berries
Jollof rice
- 100ml of sunflower oil
- 500g of red onion, about 2 large, finely chopped
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 4 grains of selim
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 15g of ginger
- 10g of garlic cloves, about 2 large cloves
- 1/2 Scotch bonnet chilli, or 1 whole
- 500g of basmati rice
- 200g of tomatoes, chopped
- 35g of tomato purée
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 500ml of beef stock, warmed
- smoked salt, to taste
- puffed rice, to serve
- finely chopped chives, to serve
ROF SAUCE
- 20g of flat-leaf parsley
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 fresh jalapeño pepper, deseeded
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 50ml of olive oil
CARROTS AND CABBAGE
- 8 carrots, ideally a mix of colours, trimmed and halved lengthways
- 2 hispi cabbages, quartered
- shito sauce, (Maria makes her own to a secret recipe but you can use shop-bought), to glaze
- olive oil, for coating
Method
Heat the sunflower oil in a large heavy-based pan with a lid. Add the onions and cook on a low heat for 20-30 minutes, until they are soft and golden brown, stirring occasionally
- 100ml of sunflower oil
- 500g of red onion, about 2 large, finely chopped
Meanwhile, prepare the spices and sauces. For the West African pepper blend, toast all the peppercorns in a dry pan over a medium heat until fragrant. Allow to cool and then grind in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Store in an airtight jar and use within three months
- 2 1/2 tsp grains of paradise
- 2 tbsp of black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp of white peppercorns
- 1 tbsp of cubeb pepper
- 3 tbsp of allspice berries
For the rice, toast the whole spices in a hot, dry frying pan until fragrant, then grind in a pestle and mortar or food processor. Mix with the ground spices and 1 tsp of the West African pepper blend. Set aside
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 4 grains of selim
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp curry powder
Blend the ginger, garlic and scotch bonnet chilli to a paste in a food processor. Set aside
- 15g of ginger
- 10g of garlic cloves, about 2 large cloves
- 1/2 Scotch bonnet chilli, or 1 whole
For the rof sauce, blitz all the ingredients (except the oil) and 1 tsp of the West African pepper blend in a food processor until you have a smooth slurry. Pour in the olive oil and mix well, adding a little cold water to achieve a consistency of your liking (or leave the water out altogether). Set aside
- 20g of flat-leaf parsley
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 fresh jalapeño pepper, deseeded
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 50ml of olive oil
Put the rice in a large bowl, cover with cold water and use your hands to rinse the grains. Tip the water out and repeat 2-3 times until the water runs clear. Drain and set aside
- 500g of basmati rice
Preheat the oven to 200°C
Once the onions are soft and golden brown, add the ginger, garlic and chilli paste to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, turning the heat down if it starts to stick
Add the spices to the pan and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and herbs. Cook for 3-5 minutes to get all the flavours to marry together, then add the drained rice. Stir well, making sure the rice is coated in the tomato base, and cook for 5-10 minutes on a gentle heat
- 200g of tomatoes, chopped
- 35g of tomato purée
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 2 fresh bay leaves
Add the stock a bit at a time, covering the pan between additions and cooking until all the stock has been absorbed. Check after 5 minutes and add more stock as needed. You want your rice to be cooked through but nice and fluffy. This process takes 30 minutes and cannot be rushed. When the rice is cooked but still a little al-dente, taste and season with smoked salt
- 500ml of beef stock, warmed
- smoked salt, to taste
Meanwhile, preheat an ovenproof pan on a high heat. Toss the carrots and hispi cabbage wedges in a little oil and a pinch of salt, then char the vegetables on all sides until you have achieved a good colour. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10 minutes to finish cooking
- 8 carrots, ideally mixed-colour, halved lengthways
- 2 hispi cabbages, quartered
- olive oil, for coating
Remove the vegetables from the oven and glaze the hispi with some shito sauce and the carrots with some rof sauce
- shito sauce, (Maria makes her own to a secret recipe but you can use shop-bought), to glaze
To serve, place the jollof rice in bowls, top with the puffed rice, chives, and finish with the glazed roasted vegetables. Serve with Maria's ox cheek stew
- puffed rice, to serve
- finely chopped chives, to serve
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