Instant Pot jollof rice
West Africa’s smoky, spicy tomato rice made easy in the Instant Pot, with every grain stained deep red and a scatter of vegetables stirred through.
- 55 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $1.19 a serving
- 370 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 serrano pepper, minced
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1½ cups crushed tomatoes
- 1¼ cups vegetable broth
- 1½ cups frozen mixed vegetables
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1¼ tsp salt
- 2 bay leaves
Each serving has about 370 calories, 8 g protein, 66 g carbs and 8 g fat, and costs about $1.19 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No red bell peppers? Yellow bell peppers work.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
- No frozen mixed vegetables? Frozen peas or frozen corn or frozen green beans work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the onion and pepper, the garlic and serrano and the ginger. the rice until the water runs mostly clear and let it .
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Set the Instant Pot to and heat the oil. Add the onion and pepper and cook, stirring, 6 minutes, until soft.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Timer: 6 min
Stir in the garlic, ginger, serrano, curry powder, thyme and paprika for 1 minute, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Timer: 1 min
Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes, until it turns a darker brick red.
Timer: 2 min
Dolly’s tip: Frying the paste takes away its raw, tinny taste. It’s the secret to good jollof.Add the crushed tomatoes and let them bubble, stirring now and then, 5 minutes, until thick. Press Cancel.
Timer: 5 min
Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom well. Add the salt and bay leaves, then the rice, and press it down under the sauce without stirring.
Dolly’s tip: Anything stuck to the bottom can set off the burn warning, so scrape until the pot feels smooth.Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing and cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes.
Timer: 6 min
Let the pressure come down on its own for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to Venting.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: Keep your hand and face away from the valve. The steam is very hot.Scatter the frozen vegetables on top, put the lid back on for 5 minutes to heat them through, then fish out the bay leaves and fluff gently with a fork.
Timer: 5 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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