Say Goodbye to Mushy (Potoh-Potoh) Rice. Learn How to Cook the Perfect Grainy Jellof/Jollof Rice.

We can agree that cooking African food is all about guesstimating the measurements of ingredients in traditional recipes handed down from one generation to the next. While the number of cups of rice needed to cook Jellof/Jollof Rice may be an exception to this statement, the rest of the ingredients are as the cook desires. This can sometimes lead to a culinary disaster especially when cooking dishes like Jellof/Jollof Rice where the final outcome can be a pot of mushy rice. What we call in Cameroon Potoh-Potoh Rice.

Cooking the Perfect Grainy Jellof/Jollof Rice.

When cooking Jellof/Jollof Rice, the volume of water in the pot plays a key role in achieving that perfect grainy (one-one) rice texture. This will require that you pay attention to the liquid content of your ingredients like (tomatoes, green spice blend, beef or chicken stock, and the washed rice).

After washing the rice, pour it into a strainer for excess water to drain off before adding it into the pot containing the tomato-based stew. Keep in mind that the tomato-based stew contains a small volume of water so gradually add the beef or chicken stock into the pot until the volume of water in the pot is at the same level as the rice. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat.

If the rice is not done, add small volumes of more stock or water at a time and cook until the rice is done. It is crucial not to add too much water into the pot at one time as it may lead to rice being overly cooked and it becomes mushy.

If your mouth is watering already, let’s get right into this simple Cameroonian Jellof Rice recipe!