Benin jollof in the Rice cooker
The dorm-room jollof. Makes a passable version on a Tuesday.
Benin jollof rice can be made in the rice cooker. The dorm-room jollof. Makes a passable version on a Tuesday. Total time is approximately 35 minutes. The method uses long-grain parboiled rice with vegetable oil and palm oil combined as the cooking fat.
At a glance
Why cook Benin jollof in the rice cooker?
Every appliance extracts something different from Benin jollof rice. The rice cooker the dorm-room jollof. Makes a passable version on a Tuesday. For Benin jollof specifically, the electric rice cooker interacts with the vegetable oil and palm oil combined base and pili-pili (African bird's eye chilli) and dawadawa seasoning in ways that change the final colour, crust formation, and aroma intensity. Benin jollof is traditionally made over firewood — adapting it to the rice cooker means deciding which part of that smoke character you are preserving and which you are letting go. The key variables — oil ratio, stock volume, and lid timing — all need adjusting from the stovetop baseline.
Benin jollof uses long-grain parboiled rice, which responds to the heat distribution of this method in a way that requires slight adjustments to the standard recipe ratios.
- + Genuinely fool-proof
- + Cheap appliance
- + No supervision
- − No crust
- − Stew base must be cooked separately
- − Texture leans soft
Method
- 01
Cook the pepper base entirely on the stove first
- 02
Combine reduced base, stock, and rinsed rice in the cooker
- 03
Run a standard white rice cycle
- 04
Let it rest on Keep Warm for 15 minutes
Frequently asked
Can you make Benin jollof in the rice cooker?
The dorm-room jollof. Makes a passable version on a Tuesday.
How long does it take?
Approximately 35 minutes including prep and rest.
Does the rice cooker give you a smoky crust?
No crust