What My Culture Means to Me by Onome

Tried Smoked Jollof Rice Yet?  

Wondered what dish usually takes the show at every west African event? Jollof rice is a West African dish which is usually orange reddish in colour and spicy, over time various African country came up with their own procedure of cooking jollof rice. Jollof rice is a spicy African rice dish which is cooked with vegetable, tomatoes as its main veg and baked chicken (Akingbolagun, 2026). Jollof rice has shaped me in a way that I associate it with joy, happiness, celebration, personally, if I were to choose one word that resonates with it, it would be “Jolly” which literally means full of high spirit, who knows, whosoever came up with the name of this dish thought of this as well. This word comes to mind because jollof, because in most cases it’s usually on the menu for festival seasons, birthdays, parties, get together and just celebration in general. 

Why You Should Try It: Jollof rice is one of the most well-known dishes across Africa, if you don't know any African dish, here you go! Everyone has their own spice tolerance, but I'd love for people to try it and see whether they get that same "jolly" experience. 

Moving away from home has affected the way I connect to my culture through jollof rice, come to think of it. Having been away from home for a while, jollof rice hits differently now, the excitement and energy are still there, but incomparable to the moment you see a proper smoked jollof rice. Here are a few things that I think has changed:

Source of the heat: Just as how charcoal-grilled chicken hits differently from an air-fried chicken, the aroma alone builds excitement. The same applies to smoked jollof versus jollof cooked on an e-cooker. There are likely several ways to achieve a smoky flavour, but two I know of. Firstly, the traditional method, using firewood as the heat source, and a more accessible method for those away from home is sealing the pot with foil on an e-cooker to trap the steam and lightly burn the bottom layer of rice. 

Smoked jollof for festival seasons: As mentioned, smoked jollof is tied to that feeling of "jolly," so it's almost always on the menu for celebrations. There's less excitement cooking it away from home but preparing it still brings back memories, it brings back home. 

The taste: Getting the exact same taste can be difficult, as ingredients can be difficult to get.

How to Make Smoked Jollof Rice 

Let’s try making a regular jollof rice first before attempting the smoked version, don't worry, the process is similar. 

Step 1: Prepare the chicken 

Rinse about 8 chicken drumsticks and place them in a pot with curry, dried thyme, Maggi cubes and pepper, with around 600ml of water. Parboil until cooked, then grill the drumsticks until slightly charred. Keep the chicken stock to flavour the rice. 

Step 2: Prepare the ingredients 

Rinse 600g of long-grain rice and set aside. Chop the ginger, garlic, bell peppers, onions and fresh or tinned tomatoes. 

Step 3: Make the pepper base 

Blend the ginger, garlic, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes. Heat vegetable oil in a pot, fry some sliced onions, then add the blended mixture. Fry for around 5 to 10 minutes until the oil separates from the paste. 

Step 4: Add the stock 

Pour the chicken stock into the pepper sauce and allow it to simmer for around 15 minutes until the sauce becomes darker and fragrant. 

Step 5: Add the rice and create the smoky flavour 

Stir the washed rice into the sauce. Cover the pot tightly with aluminium foil and place the lid on top. Cook on low heat until the rice is fully cooked and the bottom is slightly charred, giving it a smoky flavour. Serve with the grilled chicken drumsticks. 

Bringing It Back to Culture 

Looking forward to celebrating Black History Month, jollof rice is one dish that will always be tied to celebration. It's a dish that will likely be eaten forever, as different methods, flavours, and techniques for preparing it continue to be passed down through generations. 

References 

Akingbolagun T. (2026). Jollof Rice. Available at: jollof_rice_with_fried_84889 (Accessed: 06/08/2026). 

I am a SPECS student and of course I do like the Spectra building, studied Computer Science and just completed level 6. My name is Onome Abuku, I am a social person who enjoys sports and music.