Rice is one of the most popular dishes in Nigeria. Little wonder it is considered a ceremonial dish. What is an “Owambe” without Nigerian party Jollof rice? Rice can be cooked using different recipes and methods. You can remember that when we were growing up, it was prepared every Sunday. What about when you’re hosting guests? It is the easiest and fastest food for entertainment. In this article, we would be looking at the different types of rice dishes in Nigeria.
The types of rice dishes in Nigeria would be discussed below:
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Nigerian Rice and Stew
One of the oldest and most common rice dishes in Nigeria is Nigerian rice and stew. Nigerian rice and stew is a dish that has different recipes. It can be fish stew, beef stew, chicken stew, or pork stew. Whatever protein you use in preparing this dish is up to you.
If you want to prepare Nigerian rice and stew, you would need 3 cups of rice, 1 kg of chicken or beef, groundnut oil, blended tomatoes, pepper and onions, diced onions, 2 seasoning cubes, half tablespoon of curry and thyme, salt and 1 sachet of tomato paste.
When preparing the white rice, the first thing you do is rinse the rice to remove dirt. After that, you place it in a pot and add water, cover the pot and allow it to precook. Once it is pre-cooked, drain in a sieve and rinse with water to remove excess starch, then place it back in the pot and add water that is the same level as the rice and add salt. Place the pot back on fire. Once the rice is dried completely, bring it down and get ready to prepare the stew.
Before preparing the stew, steam the meat with curry, thyme, seasoning, salt and a little water. Once the meat is done, set aside and fry in groundnut oil till it is golden. Remove from the oil and add your diced onions. After adding the onions, add the tomato and pepper blend and allow to cook. Once it starts boiling, add your tomato paste and cook the stew until the sour taste of the tomatoes is gone. When you notice that the oil starts floating on top of the tomatoes, add the meat, seasoning and meat stock. Stir with a wooden spoon so the ingredients would mix well. Allow simmering for 5 minutes. Your delicious stew is ready to be served with rice. Serve hot and garnish with beans and fried plantain.
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Nigerian Jollof Rice
As earlier stated, there is no owanbe without Nigerian Jollof rice. This rice dish is the most controversial in West Africa. There has been a long war between west Africans as to whose country has the best Jollof rice recipe. In this article, we would be talking about the Nigerian Jollof rice in all its glory.
If you want to cook this dish, you would need 3 cups of long grain rice, already made tomato stew, about 3 kitchen spoons, chicken, pepper, salt, 3 seasoning cubes, curry, thyme, and bay leaves. Before you start cooking your Jollof rice, prepare your tomato stew, wash, cut and season your meat. Cook your meat and fry till it becomes golden brown. Parboil the rice and rinse and place in a sieve to drain.
When cooking the jollof rice, add the meat stock and the tomato stew into a pot and allow to boil. Add your rice, curry, thyme, seasoning cubes, salt, bay leaves and pepper. Ensure that the water is at the same level as the rice. Cover the pot and cook on low heat for some minutes. Once the water is dried up, confirm if the rice is soft, if it is not, add small water. Once the rice is done and the water dried, use a wooden spoon to stir. Your Nigerian jollof rice is ready to be served.
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Coconut Jollof Rice
Coconut Jollof rice Is a form of coconut rice in Nigeria. Trust me, if you have a taste of this goodness, you’re getting hooked for life. If you’re tired of conventional rice dishes, this is one dish that can spice up your day.
If you want to prepare coconut jollof rice, you would need 3 cups of rice, coconut milk(extracted from coconut), 2 kitchen spoons of tomato stew, 1 kg of chicken, onions, 2 carrots, green peas, seasoning cubes, curry powder, salt and 1 tablespoon of black Pepper.
Before cooking your rice, make your coconut milk, prepare your tomato stew and parboil the rice. Clean and cook the chicken with diced onions and seasoning. When preparing the coconut jollof rice, first of all, steam the chicken and add a little coconut milk.
When the chicken is done, remove the chicken from the stock and add the remaining coconut milk and water that would cook the rice. Also, add the tomato stew at this point. Add curry, salt, seasoning cubes, and black pepper. When it boils, add the parboiled rice and stir. Taste it to make sure the ingredients are okay. Start cooking.
Once the water is dried from the top, add the veggies (green peas, carrots) and stir the top. When the rice is done, stir everything with a wooden spoon. Your delicious Coconut Jollof rice is ready. Serve with fried chicken and fried plantain.
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Nigerian Fried Rice
Another interesting rice dish in Nigeria is Nigerian fried rice. This rice dish is not only colourful but also delicious. It is now served alongside Nigerian jollof rice at parties. It has various recipes and methods of preparation. You can choose the one that is perfect for you.
If you want to prepare Nigerian fried rice, you would need 3 cups of long grain rice, 1 kg of chicken, vegetable oil, 3 carrots, sweet corn, green peas, green pepper, hot dogs/liver/shrimps, seasoning cubes, salt, onions and 1 tablespoon curry powder and thyme.
Before you prepare your Nigerian fried rice, scrape and dice the carrots, dice the onions, cooked liver and hotdogs. Dice the other veggies and get ready to cook your rice. Parboil the rice and rinse the excess starch out. Place in a sieve to drain. Clean and cook your chicken with onions, seasoning cubes, curry, thyme, salt and pepper. When done, fry it till it becomes golden.
Pour the chicken stock into another pot and add your seasoning, thyme, curry, pepper, salt and cover to boil. When it starts boiling, add your parboiled rice and cook till the water dries up. When the rice is done, divide it into 4 portions. Also, divide the veggies and other ingredients into 4 portions.
Pour a small amount of vegetable oil into a frying pan. When it heats up, add the onions and fry, also add the diced hotdogs /liver/ shrimps. Fry till it turns brown. Add the carrots, sweet corn, green peas and pepper. Fry for a minute and add the first portion of cooked rice. Fry till it gets a good fry. Transfer the first set to a cooler and fry the next portion. Repeat this process till all the portions are fried. Serve with your fried chicken and Nigerian coleslaw salad.
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White Coconut Rice
White coconut rice is another rice dish in Nigeria. This is one delicious delicacy that you can prepare to give yourself and your family a treat. If you want to prepare it, you would need rice, coconut milk, chicken stock, shrimp, onions, seasoning cubes, black pepper, salt, and green peas for garnishing.
Before cooking the rice, get the chicken stock, extract your coconut milk, parboil the rice and dice your green peas and onions. If you are using shrimps, cook and peel. When cooking the rice, pour the chicken stock and coconut milk into a pot. Add the black pepper and seasoning. Cover the pot and allow it to boil. When it boils, add your parboiled rice and stir. Add salt and water. When adding water, make sure you don’t add too much so as not to have a soggy dish.
After that, cover your pot and cook on medium heat. When it starts boiling, add your shrimp and continue cooking. When the water is dried up, add your onions and veggies. Once the rice is done, stir with a wooden spoon. Your coconut rice is ready. You can decide to cook your coconut rice without the veggies.
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Ofada Rice and Stew
Ofada stew is one tasty stew you can eat and never forget the taste. It is commonly cooked in bukas and mama put (roadside food sellers). If you want to prepare ofada stew, you would need green bell pepper, green scotch bonnet pepper, assorted meat, assorted dry fish, ground crayfish, and a tablespoon of locust beans(iru), onions, seasoning cubes, salt and hard-boiled eggs.
Before cooking the ofada stew, first of all, grind the locust beans and crayfish together. Wash the dried fish and wash and cook the assorted meat with seasoning cubes, salt and onion. When the meat is done, fry and set aside. Roughly blend all the peppers with one large onion. After blending, pour the blended mix into a pot and heat up to remove the excess liquid from the pepper.
After that, pour palm oil into a pot and set it on fire and add onions after bleaching the oil. After, you can then add the blended mixture and cook for some minutes. Add the assorted meat and fish, crayfish, locust beans, seasoning cube and salt. Stir and allow simmering for 10 minutes. Add the boiled eggs after. Your ofada stew is ready. Serve with ofada rice or any rice of your choice.
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Tuwo Shinkafa
Tuwo Shinkafa is a rice dish commonly cooked in the northern parts of Nigeria. It is usually eaten with different soups and stews, ranging from egusi soup to okra soup. It is an alternative to eba, fufu and semo.
If you want to prepare Tuwo Shinkafa, you need local rice and water. The measurement depends on the number of people eating. Firstly, wash the rice and place it in a pot and add water to boil. Boil the rice until it becomes super soft and marshy. Make sure the water dries up completely. Use a wooden spoon to mash the rice to form a dough. After that, wet your hands and mould the mashed rice into balls. Your Tuwo Shinkafa is ready. Serve hot with any delicious soup of your liking.
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Local Jollof Rice
Another rice dish in Nigeria is local jollof rice. This particular delicacy brings you home with its amazing taste. It gives you that traditional taste due to the outstanding ingredients used in preparing it. Ingredients such as locust beans, palm oil, blended crayfish, dried or smoked fish, pepper, sliced pumpkin leaves and of course rice, makes this local dish stand out.
When preparing this rice dish, firstly pour palm oil into a pot and allow it to heat. Add onions and pepper. Fry the pepper for 2 minutes and add the locust beans, and crayfish and stir. After that, add the seasoning cubes, salt, and dried fish and allow to simmer. After some time, add water and bring it to boil. Add your parboiled rice and allow to cook on low to medium heat.
When the water is dried, if the rice is not done, add more water. Once the water is dried and the rice is done, remove the rice from heat and add the pumpkin leaves. Stir and cover the pot for the leaves to steam. Your local jollof rice is ready. You can also decide to garnish the rice with diced kpomo(cow skin). Serve hot.
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Nigerian Concoction Rice
Nigerian concoction rice is a rice dish in Nigeria that is rated the cheapest and easiest rice delicacy. It is commonly cooked by university students on a low budget or families seeking to eat an entirely different rice dish away from conventional rice dishes.
Other types of rice dishes in Nigeria include but are not limited to, Banga rice, Sinasir(rice pancakes), Coconut curry sauce with chicken and veggies and rice, Egg fried rice and Coconut fried rice.