Recipe for jollof: the most popular rice dish in West Africa
Derk Jan Wooldrik travelled around the world for years as a ship’s cook. He describes his cooking adventures as a ship’s cook in Café Marseille. So we read how, in the middle of the night somewhere in a filthy kitchen in Lagos, he learned how to make real jollof rice.
Derk Jan: ‘John Akabani’s sister, a woman with tits like watermelons, showed me how it was done. This is no pussy food for weaklings. This is the fuel of the streets, of the watchmen who risk their asses in the dark alleys of Lagos and were recruited as guards for the Nautic, the Reefer I worked on. At seven in the morning, when the sun is just creeping above the horizon and your head is pounding from the Star beer and cheap booze, this hellish mix of rice and spices tastes best. Pour yourself a cup of spice tea, throw a fatty mackerel alongside it, and you have a breakfast that will carry you through the day.’
How to make jollof
- Blend the onions with the bell peppers, Scotch Bonnet pepper, tomatoes, tomato paste and half of the stock in a food processor until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Put the purée in a pan over medium heat together with the coconut oil and add a few drops of liquid smoke. (Normally, the rice is prepared over a fire, hence the addition.)
- Add the rice, thyme, bay leaves and the remaining stock, and gently cook the rice until tender. The mixture should have the consistency of risotto. When the rice is almost cooked, remove the pan from the heat and let it steam gently for another 10 minutes, allowing it to thicken slightly.
- Sprinkle the jollof rice with the celery and serve.
Title: Café Marseille
Author: Derk Jan Wooldrik
Price: €35
Publisher: Carrera
This is not a cookbook as you know it. It is a journey through eight port cities, an account of Derk Jan’s cooking adventures as a ship’s cook, in which he repeatedly lost himself—and found himself again—in a tangle of ingredients, aromas and memories.
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