"Every culture has its own version of a one-pot rice dish - jambalaya, paella, and so on - and West Africa's take on the dish belongs with the best of them. From Senegal to Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ghana, jollof is a beloved favorite."
- Chef JJ Johnson
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If you caught our Ethiopian Sambusas, you know we've been enjoying African cuisine lately. Well, we recently bought Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora and it's pretty brilliant.
All the recipes in Black Food sound delicious, the artwork is incredible, and the stories are heartfelt. There's history and wisdom pouring out of every page. If that wasn't enough, it even contains a playlist for each chapter. Every cookbook should be this cool.
In this post, we'll be sharing how we made a delicious West African dish - Jollof Rice with Beans by Chef JJ Johnson - from the Migrations chapter of Black Food. If you're looking to elevate your game in the kitchen, this is the meal for you.
What is Jollof Rice?
Jollof is exactly what's mentioned above, a one-pot rice dish and traditional West African food. It's known for its bright red color and offers plenty of opportunities for the creative chef in your home. Jollof rice is very flavorful and we think it's the perfect winter comfort food. It will warm you up and delight your senses at the same time.
Is Jollof Rice with Beans Easy to Make?
Our kids were able to make everything with some planning assistance. Therefore, we think it's a great dish for preschool and up.
There are 3 different components to this West African cuisine: the beans, the tomato sauce, and the rice. Each component is simple enough on its own. However, younger children or those new to cooking are going to need more assistance with planning and organization.
Depending on the chef, there are practical life skills involved in making this dish that should keep all ages learning. Not to mention, the amazing aromas that immediately fill your kitchen will entice everyone to participate.
Is Jollof a Vegetarian Dish?
It can be. Or you can get creative with it. We've had it with beans as we'll show you, and we've also added ground lamb as a protein. Chef JJ Johnson also recommends adding plantains as an alternative creation.
West African Cuisine: Jollof Rice with Beans
This is such an enjoyable dish to make and having an awesome cookbook to look at during any downtime is an added benefit. We also really enjoy the musical selections from the accompanying playlist.
When making this dish with kids, it's helpful to introduce them to simpler tasks first; whatever they show interest in and can reasonably manage with some assistance. Over time, their skills will develop, and they can move on to a more advanced task. Once kids have a few food prep skills under their belt, they can begin chaining tasks together during meal preparation activities.
In other words, start small and the child will build from there. You may find that you're learning right alongside them and those are the best moments.
Our dish is fairly close to the recipe in the book, except for a couple of substitutions. We also later added ground lamb as a variation. As I mentioned earlier, feel free to get creative with your kids. This is how we made it.
Ingredients & Tools
- Spanish Onions
- Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Bird's Eye Chiles (or Serrano)
- Tomato Paste
- Plum Tomatoes (or on the vine)
- Red Kidney Beans (or Adzuki Red Beans)
- Water
- Garlic Cloves
- Jasmine Rice
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Apron
- Prep Bowls
- Cutting Board
- Child-Friendly Knife
- Box Grater (optional)
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cup
- Medium Saucepan
- Large Saucepan (we used a Dutch Oven)
- Spoons
- Blender
- Learning Tower
1. Prep the Ingredients for Making the Beans and Bring to Stove
Chop 4 garlic cloves, 1 chile & 1 onion using a knife and cutting board. Seed and chop the chile yourself or provide a brief reminder about handling chiles and touching sensitive areas such as eyes. Handwashing after chopping chiles has made for a painless experience in our home.
Bring the items to the stove along with 1 cup beans, and 4 cups cool water. Assist the child as appropriate for their abilities. We use a Learning Tower at the stove to promote independence.
Don't forget the cookbook for instructions. Our kids immediately noted the reddish color of the dish pictured in the book and asked if it was because of the tomatoes.
If you decide to make this West African cuisine and you enjoy it, you may want to get the book in order to receive the full benefits of the experience. We enjoy having it as part of our Books for Africa Continent Studies.
2. Combine Ingredients in Medium Saucepan over High Heat
We put our Learning Tower close enough for our kids to reach but with a little bit of space between them and the stove.
3. Add Garlic
You may notice we have a lot of the kids' artwork in the kitchen. My friend Julie over at Nature Inspired Learning makes printables for kids and the bird coloring pages hanging on the fridge are one of our favorites.
4. Add Chile
5. Give it a Stir
6. Bring to a Boil, Reduce Heat to Low, and Simmer
Our kids loved this part. The bubbles and steam are exciting while the beans transform into a wrinkly version of themselves.
7. Cook until Tender
Cook for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally, and add water as needed to keep the beans submerged. Taste frequently for texture and flavor after 1 hour. When soft, season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat when soft and before they lose their shape. Leave them in the pan to cool and then remove the chile.
At this point, you can move on to prepping the tomato sauce. Also, it's a great opportunity to dive into the cookbook for more African cuisine.
8. Chop Items for the Tomato Sauce
While the beans are cooking you can prep the tomato sauce. Chop ½ onion, tomatoes, and enough garlic for 1 tablespoon.
9. Peel and Chop Ginger
Chop enough ginger for 1 teaspoon. Make sure to peel the ginger before chopping. You may need to assist with this task.
Alternatively, you can also grate the ginger. Our son is all about the box grater right now and he uses it any opportunity he has.
10. Heat Oil in Pan on Medium Heat and Add Onion
Head back to the stove and cook the onion over medium heat. Add some salt and cook until the onion is translucent, 3-5 minutes.
11. Add Garlic, Ginger, and Chile
Cook for 2 minutes or until soft.
12. Add Tomato Paste for Making Jollof Rice
Stir and cook for 5-8 minutes.
13. Transfer to a Blender
Pulse to combine. Add the tomatoes to the blender and puree. Add water if too thick and season with salt. Using a blender is a ton of fun and our oldest really enjoyed this part.
Here's the beautiful red sauce. Our kids were really happy to see that it matched the bright red in the picture.
14. Measure the Rice for Jollof Rice
This West African dish still needs rice. Measure the rice using a measuring cup.
15. Add Rice, Oil, Tomato Sauce, and Beans
After the beans and sauce are ready, the last part of creating this Jollof Rice dish is combining them with rice. Add the rice, the remaining oil, tomato sauce, and beans to a large saucepan or dutch oven.
16. Add Water, Salt, and Black Pepper to Jollof Rice with Beans
Add water, salt, and black pepper and simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook for approximately 40 minutes, until the rice is tender.
Our youngest daughter woke from her nap around this time and couldn't wait to see what was cooking.
17. When Jollof Rice is Finished, Sit Covered for 10 minutes
Fluff with a fork and serve. Beautiful and delicious. We later added some ground lamb as well and it was awesome. Such a tasty dish and an incredible way to learn more about West African cuisine.
Conclusion for West African Cuisine: Jollof Rice with Beans
We hope you've enjoyed seeing how we make Jollof Rice with Beans in our homeschool. I can't reiterate enough how much having the book really adds to the whole experience.
If you're a homeschooler, this cookbook has so much to offer. It is as gorgeous on the inside as the cover art by George McCalman is on the outside. I know we'll be enjoying it for years to come as we study Art, Language, Poetry, History, Science, Fundamental Human Needs, and more.
In my opinion, Black Food by Bryant Terry is a must-have book for every homeschooler's kitchen as it embodies the soul of cosmic education. If you don't have the book, we hope you find this useful and enjoy making this recipe with your family.
More Africa Educational Resources
Save $15 on your first Waseca Biomes purchase here.
More Practical Life in the Kitchen
- Chocolate Bison Chili: An Indigenous Food Experience and Free Printable
- Xinxim de Galinha, Bahian Chicken Stew and Free Printable
- Asian Dumplings
- Ukrainian Welcome Bread
- Family and Kids Cooking Resources: Different Food Cultures
- Easy Baking for Kids Using a Visual Recipe
West African Cuisine: Jollof Rice with Beans
Equipment
- Apron
- Prep Bowls
- Box Grater optional
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cup
- Wooden Spoon
- Medium Saucepan
- Dutch Oven or large saucepan
- Blender
- Learning Tower as needed
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Spanish Onions
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Garlic we used minced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger chopped/grated
- 3 Bird's Eye or Serrano Chiles seeded and chopped
- ¼ cup Tomato Paste
- 3 Plum Tomatoes ripe
- 1 cup dried Red Kidney Beans or Adzuki Red Beans
- 7 cups Water cool
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 2 cups Jasmine Rice
- ½ teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt plus more to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop 4 garlic cloves, 1 chile & 1 onion using a knife and cutting board. Seed and chop the chile yourself or provide a brief reminder about handling chiles and touching sensitive areas such as eyes. Handwashing after chopping chiles has made for a painless experience in our home. Bring the items to the stove along with 1 cup beans, and 4 cups cool water. Assist the child as appropriate for their abilities.
- Combine Ingredients in Medium Saucepan over High Heat.
- Add the Garlic.
- Add the Chile.
- Give it a Stir.
- Bring to a Boil, Reduce Heat to Low, and Simmer.
- Cook until tender. Cook for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally, and add water as needed to keep the beans submerged. Taste frequently for texture and flavor after 1 hour. When soft, season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat when soft and before they lose their shape. Leave them in the pan to cool and then remove the chile. At this point you can move on to prepping the tomato sauce. Also, it's a great opportunity to dive into the cookbook for more African cuisine.
- While the beans are cooking you can prep the tomato sauce. Chop ½ onion, tomatoes, and enough garlic for 1 tablespoon.
- Peel and Chop Ginger. Chop enough ginger for 1 teaspoon. Make sure to peel the ginger before chopping. You may need to assist with this task. Use box grater as alternative to chopping.
- Head back to the stove and cook the onion in oil over medium heat. Add some salt and cook until the onion is translucent, 3-5 minutes.
- Add Garlic, Ginger, and Chile. Cook for 2 minutes or until soft.
- Add Tomato Paste. Stir and cook for 5-8 minutes.
- Transfer to a Blender. Pulse to combine. Add the tomatoes to the blender and puree. Add water if too thick and season with salt.
- Measure the rice using a measuring cup.
- After the beans and sauce are ready, the last part of creating this West African cuisine is combining them with rice. Add the rice, the remaining oil, tomato sauce, and beans to a large saucepan or dutch oven.
- Add water, salt, and black pepper and simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook for approximately 40 minutes, until the rice is tender.
- When finished, sit covered for ten minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
PIN FOR LATER
