Tag Archives: Jollof rice

Bulk Bananas Savors Ghanaian Food in Accra

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Happy Holidays! hope you all enjoyed the Christmas and New Year holidays with family and friends; if not with family and friends, hope you had a relaxing break, anyways.  I was really excited about visiting my aunt in Kwara state, but unfortunately, life happened and I was not able to make it.  However, to make up for it, I has an exciting time in Ghana, which trumps the visit to Kwara.  A good friend of mine was getting married in Ghana and my husband and I decided it was a good reason as any to check out our friendly neighbors in Ghana and try a few of their gastronomic delights.

I knew the trip would be eventful when we got to Murtala International Airport in Lagos and realized that we did not have our passports with us.  My husband waited at the airport to schmooze the airline staff into not closing the check-in counter, while I frantically rushed back to grab the all-important documents.  Half-way back to the airport, I decided to actually check the passports since, in my hurry, I had simply grabbed the closest-looking document  to a passport.  I realized that I taken my brother’s passport instead of my husband’s and had to make another quick U-turn back to get the accurate documents.

Anyway, finally made it back to the airport with the 2 passports in-hand, breathlessly ran into the airport lobby, only to learn that the flight had been delayed; it was delayed for 3 hours! My husband and I were relieved when we got to Accra late in the night, with the hotel pick-up driver waiting in the lobby. We enjoyed a cool drive to our hotel.

The wedding was absolutely stunning, but the highlight for me was the Ghanaian food.  It was completely heavenly.  There were several events throughout the week, but my favorite was brunch hosted at the Ghana Artist Alliance Gallery at Omanye House, La before LaPalm Beach Hotel, Accra.  I strongly recommend visiting the gallery when next you are in Accra.  It has modern and historic pieces ranging from fabric, to beads to contemporary artworks for sale.  The brunch menu included a traditional Ghana soup, jollof rice, rice and beans, chicken and beef cooked in several different ways, “pomo” and other types of “orishirishi”.  The food was tasty, had variety, and very well made.

 

A “Decent” Nigerian Restaurant in Dublin

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Whenever I travel outside Lagos, I try as much as possible to explore the local cuisine, culture, sights and scenes.  However, on a recent trip to Dublin, Ireland I decided I wanted a taste of home instead.  It was a long 5-day trip and I can only have so many cold sandwiches and roast turkey before the cravings for soft, smooth pounded yam and egusi soup kicks in.  A couple of friends and myself decided to have dinner at Decency African Cuisine Restaurant, located at 40 Mountjoy Street, Dublin 7; phone: +353 1 830 8320. My friends were very excited about the restaurant and spoke about how authentic the food is.  But I was not super hopeful, considering that the restaurant recommendation came from my non-Nigerians friends. At the minimum, I figured it will have a fun evening catching-up with old friends.
We took a taxi to the location, and the taxi driver, as can be predicted, was a Nigerian that had spent over 10 years canvassing through Europe for greener pastures, mostly in Italy and Ireland.  It was an enjoyable ride with the driver sharing several hilarious adventures and feeling nostalgic about life back home.  We eventually got to the restaurant.  It is simple, clean and somewhat comfortable.  It can easily sit about 12 people but not much room for more than 15 customers.  The ambiance is casual with pedestrian wall paintings.  We were warmly greeted by the waiter as soon as we walked in and promptly seated. This was refreshing considering the poor service one often experiences in Lagos, but can be explained by us being the only customers. We visited on a Wednesday and my friend mentioned that it is busier on the weekends.
We ordered the Jollof Rice with fried plantain and beef, moin-moin with barbecued fish and more plantains, and pounded yam with vegetable soup.  They had a relatively comprehensive menu with additional soups items such as Ogbeno soup, Naala soup, Biter leave soup and Oha soup.  See pictures of our orders below.  The food came in generous portions.  The quality was average.  The fried plantains were perfectly golden yellow with just enough salt, but the Jollof rice was dry and the fish was not properly cleaned before grilling. We asked for red stew, a staple in every Nigerian kitchen, but they were out.  The total bill came up to 37 Euros (they only accept cash) but bottled water is complimentary in Dublin, which was a nice surprise.  Overall, this restaurant is not the place to impress a first date or a key client but I’d suggest it as a nice hang-out spot to enjoy a little taste of home.
Pounded Yam with Vegetable SoupJollof Rice with Plantain and BeefGrilled Fish with Plantains, Moin-moin and Vegetables

Jollof Rice Recipe

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Notes: This is a very popular West African dish eaten only in Nigeria but also in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Senegal.  Of course, the Nigerian version is best!  There are several ways to make this delicious dish so do not feel constrained to the recipe given below.  Feel free to get creative and make your own version of Jollof Rice.

 

Ingredients:

Rice                                                                                                1 cup

Tomatoes                                                                                     2 medium-sized

Red Bell Pepper (tatashe)                                                        1 large

Habanero pepper (rodo)                                                          1

Canned tomato paste                                                                2 tablespoons

Onions                                                                                          1 large

Spring onions, finely chopped                                              1 bunch or 2 table spoons

Beef or chicken broth                                                               1 cup

Green peas                                                                                  ¼ cup

Water                                                                                            1 cup

Salt, to taste

Vegetable oil (or groundnut oil)                                            ½ a cooking spoon

Boullion cubes                                                                            2

 

Directions:

  1. Blend tomatoes, bell peppers, habanero pepper and onions.  Cook on medium heat till it becomes a thick paste.
  2. In a medium-sized saucepan, add the groundnut oil.  When hot, add the spring onions and fry lightly.
  3. Add the blended pepper paste, canned tomato paste and chicken broth.  Allow to boil.
  4. Wash the rice twice in cold water and add to the boiling pepper mixture. Add the cup of water.
  5. Reduce the heat and allow to cook till rice is soft.  Since you will not be draining the rice, it is better to add less water initially and add a little at a time as needed.
  6. Add the boullion cubes and salt to taste.
  7. Once the jollof rice is close to being cooked, add the peas and allow to cook on low heat for another 10 minutes.  Total cooking time should not exceed 30 minutes.
  8. If you notice that the bottom of the rice is burning before it is completely cooked, you may want to bake in the oven (at 350F) to ensure that the jollof rice is completely dry before serving.