Jollof is rice cooked in a tomato, pepper and onion base until the grains take up the whole of it, and in Ghana it is the food of every party, every outdooring, every office lunch and most Sundays.
— Where to eat cheaply in Accra
What makes Ghanaian jollof Ghanaian
The argument with Nigeria is real, it is enjoyed by both sides, and it is not going to be settled here. The differences are actual, though:
- The rice. Ghanaian jollof is usually made with aromatic long-grain rice, which carries the scent of the stew rather than sitting in it.
- The base. Ghanaian cooking leans on a tomato, onion, pepper and ginger base, often with a little shito or dried fish behind it.
- The finish. The prize is the slightly caramelised layer at the bottom of the pot, and a cook who gives you some has done you a kindness.
Party jollof is a real category, not a joke: rice cooked in a very large pot over wood or charcoal, for a crowd, tastes different from rice cooked on a stove, and everybody knows it.
The other rice dishes, and where each lives
Plain rice and stew. The default cheap lunch across the city. Tomato stew over white rice, with fish, chicken or beef added and priced separately. Every chop bar, every market, every office street at midday.
Fried rice. Usually with chicken, usually cooked to order on a griddle, and usually eaten in the evening rather than at lunch. This is what the rice joints are for.
Angwamo, or oil rice: rice cooked in the stew oil, plainer and heavier than jollof, and a common home and chop bar dish.
Omo tuo, rice balls: rice cooked soft and moulded, eaten with groundnut or palmnut soup, and traditionally a Sunday dish.
Waakye, rice and beans, which is its own subject entirely.
The rice joints
Accra calls them check check, which is generally said to be the sound of the spatulas working the hotplate. A griddle on a street corner, a cook with two spatulas, chicken, fried rice and jollof made to order in front of you, from early evening until late.
They are worth knowing about for three reasons: the food is cooked in front of you rather than kept warm, they run long after kitchens close, and they are concentrated exactly where people are out.
How to order
- Jollof or fried rice, then the protein. Chicken, fish, beef, goat, or none. The protein is most of the price.
- Say how much rice. As with everything else, you are buying an amount.
- Shito and pepper are asked for, not assumed, and you can ask for a little.
- Salad — shredded cabbage — comes on top if you want it.
- “Both” is a legitimate order at a rice joint, and means jollof and fried rice on the same plate.
Where the good jollof actually is
Not in a restaurant, mostly. The best jollof in Accra tends to be at a party you were invited to, a chop bar at lunchtime, or a woman who sells it from one spot and has done for years.
A restaurant charging mall prices for jollof is charging for the chair. The dish is a cheap dish, cooked well or badly, and the price is not what tells you which.
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