Jollof-inspired rice recipe

Name: Jollof-inspired rice
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 red onion, roughly chopped; 3 large ripe plum tomatoes; 2 red romano peppers (long, pointed); 1 scotch bonnet, optional, or use half if you don’t like too much heat; 300ml vegetable stock; 300g long grain rice; 1 tbsp coconut oil; 1 red onion, finely sliced; 1 red pepper, finely sliced; ½ tsp dried thyme; 2 bay leaves; ½ tsp turmeric; ¼ tsp ground allspice; 1 tsp ground coriander; ¼ tsp ground fenugreek; 2 tbsp tomato puree; Generous pinch black pepper; 20g butter; 2 tomatoes, finely diced; 1 small red onion, diced; 15g curly leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Jollof rice is a popular West African recipe that consists of rice cooked in a spicy tomato stew. The heat from the scotch bonnet is much more than your usual chilli, so you might want to use half it if you don't like things too spicy!

See method

Serves 4
20 mins to prepare and 30 mins to cook
1750 calories / serving

Vegetarian

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Tesco Red Onions Loose
1 red onion, roughly chopped
£0.20
£0.95/kg
Tesco Classic Round Tomatoes 6 Pack
Aldi Price Match
3 large ripe plum tomatoes
£0.99
£0.16/each
Tesco Red Peppers Each
Aldi Price Match
2 red romano peppers (long, pointed)
£0.70
£0.70/each
Tesco Scotch Bonnet Chillies 50G
Aldi Price Match
1 scotch bonnet, optional, or use half if you don’t like too much heat
£0.79
£15.80/kg
Oxo Ready To Use Stock Signature Vegetable 500ML
300ml vegetable stock
£2.50
£5.00/litre
Grower Harvest Long Grain Rice 1Kg
Aldi Price Match
300g long grain rice
£0.52
£0.52/kg
Tesco Organic Virgin Coconut Oil 300Ml
1 tbsp coconut oil
£3.85
£12.83/litre
Tesco Thyme 19g
½ tsp dried thyme
£1.00
£52.63/kg
Tesco Bay Leaves 3G
2 bay leaves
£1.00
£333.33/kg
Tesco Ground Turmeric 45G
½ tsp turmeric
£1.00
£22.22/kg
Tesco Ground AllSpice 33G
¼ tsp ground allspice
£1.00
£30.30/kg
Tesco Ground Coriander 36G
1 tsp ground coriander
£1.00
£27.78/kg
Schwartz Ground Fenugreek 35G Jar
Any 2 for £3.50 Clubcard Price - Selected Schwartz Recipe Mix
Offer valid for delivery from 08/07/2026 until 28/09/2026
This product's currently out of stock
¼ tsp ground fenugreek
Tesco Tomato Puree 200G
Aldi Price Match
2 tbsp tomato puree
£0.59
£2.95/kg
RAJAH WHOLE BLACK PEPPER 100G
£1.55 Clubcard Price
(£15.50/kg)
Offer valid for delivery from 15/09/2026 until 10/11/2026
Generous pinch black pepper
£1.95
£19.50/kg
Tesco British Unsalted Butter 250G
Aldi Price Match
20g butter
£1.85
£7.40/kg
Tesco Curled Leaf Parsley 30g
15g curly leaf parsley, roughly chopped
£0.50
£16.67/kg

Method

Put the rice in a bowl of water to soak while you make the sauce. Put all the ingredients for the sauce into a blender or food processor and blend with a little salt and pepper. Pour into a lidded saucepan and put the lid on. Bring to a medium simmer for 10 mins, until simmering, then season generously with black pepper and a pinch of salt.
Meanwhile, in a large lidded frying pan, add coconut oil and melt over a medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and coat in the oil. Add the thyme, bay and all the spices. Stirring all the time, cook for 1 min. Add the tomato puree and black pepper. Cook for 1 min, then pour the blended sauce into the pan with the spices and bring to a medium simmer. Strain and rinse your rice thoroughly before pouring into the sauce. Put a piece of foil over the saucepan before putting the lid on. This will help seal in the steam.
Turn the heat to low and cook the rice for 20-25 mins. Remove the lid, add the butter and stir the rice, it will be cooked through and a little sticky. If it’s too sticky add a little more stock or boiling water and stir.
To serve, top with the diced fresh tomatoes, red onion and parsley.