Who cares where jollof rice comes from when the food is this good?
The coordinates we can agree on: West Africa. We
can also trace its roots back to the Senegambia region, in the ancient Wolof or
Jolof (see?) empire. But that’s about it. Things get a bit murky thereafter.
Senegalese, Gambians, Cameroonians, Liberians, Nigerians and Ghanaians all
claim ownership of this iconic recipe.
Accra Palace on Upper Clapton Road is not
interested in murkiness. Its business is food. And food – good food – is what
it delivers. Over time I’ve become a regular, especially when my former
favourite Ghanaian restaurant, Rebecca’s in Edmonton (Enfield), is no longer
within easy reach.
The restaurant’s location is excellent. Sandwiched
between Stamford Hill’s long-established Orthodox Jewish community and an
already hipster-driven, gentrified Hackney, Accra Palace adds a multicultural
touch to what used to be a rather drab, drive-through area.
The dish in question (photo by the author)
What I love about Accra Palace is both its service
and grub. Both come with a smile. My usual fix is jollof rice, fried chicken
and plantain. The rice is loose and soft. I once asked one of the staff at
Accra Palace what type of rice they used and she told me that they favoured
long grain rice (Thai or jasmine).
The other element that makes jollof rice such a
distinctive West African staple is its spice mix. In the Ghanaian version warm
spices are used most of the time. This means clove, nutmeg or cinnamon. Something
else that sets Ghanaians apart from other jollof rice-consuming West African
countries is their use of the same protein stock (beef or chicken, for
instance) to simmer their dish.
I made jollof rice once years ago after I read Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's book "Americanah." The recipe I used was Nigerian, and I went to a Nigerian grocery store here in Los Angeles to get the ingredients for it and a few other traditional Nigerian recipes. Delicious!
ReplyDeleteIt looks delicious. It sounds similar to a rice pudding type dish I make. instead of broth I cook it in milk and use lots of clove-cinnamon-nutmeg-ginger.
ReplyDeleteYum. Food effortlessly crosses cultural boundaries.
ReplyDeleteNorthern wild rice is the "hot commodity" in this neck of the woods, CiL. The Ojibwa and some other tribes consider it a sacred component in their culture and have pretty much cornered the market on it. With apologies to Alexander Pope, things like reservation casinos and wild rice have turned "Lo, the poor Indian! whose untutor'd mind sees God in clouds" into Lo, the rich Indian, who still sees God in clouds.
ReplyDeleteI like rice .... neat post ....
Hih hih nice post cIL!We all love good meals!I have never heard of that rice..but it looks very tasty!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a delicious dish, and I think I would really enjoy those warm spices (but with vegetable broth). I wish I had that bowl of rice in front of me right now!
ReplyDeleteIt looks good.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of jollof rice but it does look yummy!
ReplyDeletei have not heard of jollof rice, but it does seem to have a cousin in our nasi briyani, a dish made with long grain rice, spices and meat (typically mutton or chicken) in a single pot.
ReplyDeletefood has always unite cultures. :)
Hi ACIL - I too had never heard of Jolof Rise ... but it sounds delicious ... and I can see from the history its origins are long and determined not to be left out of historical life. Thank you - I've been introduced to the Jolof Empire - which I may never have come across. Enjoy the match ... if football is your thing! Cheers and have a good weekend - Hilary
ReplyDeleteMost delicious item
ReplyDelete