Jamie Oliver Jollof Rice

This one? It hits hard. Jamie Oliver Jollof Rice is smoky, spicy, and somehow…sunny? You can smell it before you even lift the lid—those warm spices, the sweet edge of the bell pepper, the slow burn from habanero creeping into your nose like it owns the place. I made it late on a Thursday, midweek blues situation, and it felt like someone opened a window into a different life. (inspired by Jamie Oliver)

Ingredients Needed

For the base—the sauce:

• 1 large, ripe tomato, the softer the better
• 1 big red bell pepper, chopped roughly (don’t fuss)
• 1 full, angry-looking habanero (remove the stem unless you like danger)
• 1 Fresno chili or jalapeño, again, stem gone
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled with a bit of attitude A thumb of ginger, minced (don’t overthink the measuring) About 2 cups of cold water

Now, the rice part:

• 1/3 cup olive oil—the good kind if you have it
• 1 red onion, diced, not minced. You want it to still feel like onion.
• 1 tsp salt, plus a little extra later (you’ll know when)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste, deep and rich
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika—generous, not shy
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 1/4 cups basmati rice (don’t rinse too much—you want a little starch)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp chicken bouillon paste (or something salty and golden)
• Optional: green onions, chopped. Cilantro too, if you like a hit of green on top

How To Make Jamie Oliver Jollof Rice

1. Start with the sauce. Throw the tomato, bell pepper, chilies, garlic, ginger, and water into a blender. Don’t be delicate. Blitz it until it’s practically juice. No chunks. You want velvet.
2. In a big saucepan, heat up your olive oil. Medium heat, not screaming. Toss in your red onion with that teaspoon of salt and let it go till it softens, turns translucent, gets sweet. That’ll take maybe 5 minutes, give or take.
3. Push the onions aside—literally. Clear a little patch of pan and drop in the tomato paste. Let it fry. Just a couple minutes till it darkens, starts sticking, like it’s trying to become something else. Then dump in the paprika, curry powder, cumin, thyme, black pepper, turmeric. Stir like you’re stirring secrets into the pot. Let it bloom, smell it wake up.
4. Kill the heat. Pour in the rice and stir till every grain turns red-orange and glistening. You’re not rushing this. You’re coating the future in flavor.
5. Toss in the bay leaf and bouillon. Then pour in the sauce—slowly, maybe pause halfway through just to admire how it sinks into the rice. Bring it to a real simmer. Cover tightly. Lower the heat and don’t touch it. Seriously. For 20 minutes it’s off-limits.
6. After that, turn off the heat. Still don’t touch it. Let it sit, lid on, for another 12 minutes. It’s finishing itself. Then? Fluff it. Fork only. No spoons, no smashing. Let it breathe.
7. Top with chopped green onions and cilantro if you’ve got them. Or don’t. Still good.

Why I Love This Recipe

The first time I made this, I was cooking to feel something. Not hungry—just off. The heat from the peppers, the depth of the tomato paste, the perfume of thyme floating through the kitchen… I don’t know. It filled a gap. It made the place smell like a house again. We ate it with cold beer and fingers. Plates went quiet fast.

Recipe Tips

• Blend the sauce until you’re almost afraid it’s too smooth. That’s the right point.
• Do not—I repeat—do not lift the lid while it simmers. Let it be.
• If you’ve got old rice lying around, don’t even think about using it here. This dish demands fresh.
• Swap the habanero for something gentler if you must. But you’ll miss that sting.
• Leftovers get spicier. Be ready.

How To Store This Jamie Oliver Jollof Rice

• At Room Temperature: Keep it out only long enough for steam to stop. Then wrap it up.
• In the Fridge: Tuck it into a sealed container. Three days, tops. After that, the flavor dulls.
• In the Freezer: Freeze it flat in bags if you can. Makes thawing less of a pain. One month shelf life before it starts to lose itself.
• Reheating: In the oven? 350 degrees, splash some water on top, cover tight, 15 minutes or so. Microwave? Bit of water, cover it, 2-3 minutes. Stir halfway. Careful—it’ll be lava. Stovetop? Low heat, splash of water, keep it moving.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

• Calories: 174
• Carbs: 20g
• Protein: 3g
• Fat: 10g
• Sugar: 4g
• Fibre: 2g
• Sodium: 456mg

Let’s Answer a Few Questions!

What kind of rice works here?
Basmati. Trust me. The long grain matters. It drinks in flavor but doesn’t get soggy.

Can I skip the bouillon?
You can. Use veg broth. Or miso. Just don’t go in with plain water. Too sad.

How do I stop it from sticking to the bottom?
Heavy pan. Low heat. Lid on. No stirring. That’s the law.

What toppings do you like?
Green onion. Cilantro. A fried egg if I’m feeling wild. Even a squeeze of lime when it’s hot out.

Can I make a big batch?
Yup. But scale carefully. Rice is moody in large quantities. You’ll need patience and probably a bigger pot than you think.

Try More Recipe:

• Jamie Oliver Rice Stuffed Peppers
• Jamie Oliver Ratatouille Recipe
• Jamie Oliver Bbq Baked Beans