My cauliflower rice dish based on the West African Jollof rice dish. You could add fish or chicken to this, but I am keeping it vegetarian and vegan.
I was introduced to jollof by my husband's family who are from Ghana. Jollof is a West African dish and is a one pot rice dish, rather like a biryani but with different spices. Jollof is also called "Benachin" which means one pot rice.
Traditional Jollof is a rice dish cooked in a blend of tomatoes and onion, with various spices. Meat, fish and vegetables can be added too. If you don't like your food too spicy then omit the chillies. If you like a bit more heat then add chillies and some ginger.
There is debate between Nigerians and Ghanaians about which version of jollof rice is best, and everyone has a different recipe for it. I also made one version with ginger to which the Chief Taster raised his eyebrow and muttered about his mother's jollof. So, that was a no, although I enjoyed it.
When we visited Ghana, being aware that jollof is made with white rice, I turned up with brown rice as a more healthier alternative. The aunts looked at me with curiosity at this little diva! If they heard that I was trying to do this with cauliflower there may be a few raised eyebrows!
I tried this in a one pot on the stove and it was too moist. So I tried again with baking the cauliflower rice in the oven as that method dries the cauliflower rice out a bit more. Just make sure you give the cauliflower a good stir half way through baking.
This dish is delicious by itself or as a side. One head of cauliflower will happily feed four people as I found the portions a good size. I ate some the next morning along with a couple of eggs. A lovely breakfast!
Try Other Cauliflower Rice Recipes
Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower Jollof Rice
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Ingredients
- 1 Cauliflower
- 2 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 1 Onion peeled and chopped
- 1 Tomato finely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic peeled and chopped
- 2 Chillis finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Thyme, dried
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon White pepper
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F degrees,
- Cut the cauliflower into florets and place in a food processor.
- Blitz until the cauliflower resembles breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and spices and combine well.
- Place the cauliflower on a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil.
- Bake for 15 minutes, stirring through half way.
- Eat and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
