Collection: All You Need to Make Jollof Rice

Each West African country has at least one variant form of Jollof Rice, with Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cameroon particularly competitive as to which country makes the best Jollof. This is especially prominent between Nigeria and Ghana, in a rivalry dubbed the "Jollof Wars".

Nigerian Jollof
Although considerable variation exists, the basic profile for Nigerian jollof rice includes long grain parboiled rice, tomatoes and tomato paste, pepper, vegetable oil, onions, and stock cubes. Most of the ingredients are cooked in one pot, of which a rich meat stock and fried tomato and pepper puree characteristically form the base. Rice is then added and left to cook in the liquid. The dish is then served with the protein of choice and very often with fried plantains, moi moi, steamed vegetables, coleslaw, salad, etc. In the riverine areas of Nigeria where the seafood is the main source of protein, seafood often takes the place of chicken or meat as the protein of choice.[citation needed]

Ghanaian Jollof
Ghanaian jollof rice is made of vegetable oil, onion, bell pepper, cloves of pressed garlic, chilies, tomato paste, beef or goat meat or chicken (sometimes alternated with mixed vegetables), local or refined rice, and black pepper. The method of cooking Jollof begins with first preparing the beef or chicken by seasoning and frying it until it is well-cooked. The rest of the ingredients are then fried all together, starting from onions, pepper, tomato paste, tomatoes, and spices in that order. After all the ingredients have been fried, rice is then added and cooked until the meal is prepared. Ghanaian Jollof is typically served with side dishes of beef, chicken, well-seasoned fried fish, or mixed vegetables.

Jollof in Ghana is also served alongside shito, a popular type of pepper that originates from Ghana, and salad during parties and other ceremonies.