Jollof rice traditionally consists of rice, cooking oil, vegetables such
as tomato, onion, red pepper, garlic, ginger and Scotch bonnet chilli
peppers. To enhance the colour of the dish, tomato paste (purée) is
added. As seasoning, spices, salt, stock cubes (a blend of flavour
enhancers, salt, nutmeg and herbs), curry powder and dried thyme are
used. To complement the dish, chicken, turkey, beef or fish are often
served with the dish.
Nigerian jollof strong considerable variation
exists, the basic profile for Nigerian jollof rice includes long-grain
parboiled rice, tomatoes and tomato paste, pepper, vegetable oil,
onions, and stock cubes. Most of the ingredients are cooked in one pot,
of which a rich meat stock and a fried tomato and pepper puree
characteristically forms the base. Rice is then added and left to cook
in the liquid. The dish is then served with the protein of choice and
very often with fried plantains, moi moi, steamed vegetables, coleslaw,
salad, etc. In the riverine areas of Nigeria where seafood is the main
source of protein, seafood often takes the place of chicken or meat as
the protein of choice
Each West African country has at least one variant form of the dish, with Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon particularly competitive as to which country makes the best jollof. This is especially prominent between Nigeria and Ghana, in a rivalry dubbed the "Jollof Wars".