Gino Party Jollof

What is in a Gino Party Jollof sachet

Many listings use the word seasoning, but sellers in the US and Nigeria describe this as a tomato-based jollof mix, and several simply call it a tomato paste in a sachet, not a dry spice packet. Seller descriptions, which echo the product's marketing, say it blends tomato with peppers, onion and other seasonings, made for jollof. That changes how you cook with it. A dry seasoning can go in with the stock, while a tomato mix stands in for some of the tomato in your base and needs frying first. Because pack contents differ by market, read the label for the ingredient list, the amount to use and the salt before you start.

Why party jollof tastes different from everyday jollof

Party jollof is the big-event version of Nigerian jollof rice. It was traditionally cooked outdoors over a wood fire, which gave it a smoky taste and a toasted layer at the bottom of the pot. Home cooks on a stove copy that effect on purpose. The rice cooks in a thick red base of tomato, bell pepper, scotch bonnet and onion, usually with curry, thyme, bay leaf and a little white pepper, and some cooks stir in butter near the end. Jollof itself is a West African rice dish, and Nigerian, Ghanaian and Senegalese versions all differ.

A party pot, step by step

The timings below blend three Nigerian recipes, one of them a sponsored guide to cooking with this very product. Use them as a map, and let your pack's directions set the amount of mix.

1. Fry the mix. Cook sliced onion, spices and the tomato mix together for roughly five to seven minutes, until the color darkens and the raw smell is gone. Skipping this leaves a sharp, sour edge.
2. Add the pepper blend and stock. Fry the blended peppers in the base until oil floats to the top, which took 15 to 20 minutes in one recipe. Then add the stock and cook it down for another eight to ten minutes.
3. Add the rice. Recipes disagree on whether to parboil first: two of the three used raw rice and one used parboiled. Whichever you choose, measure the liquid, because one recipe keeps it only about a centimeter above the rice.
4. Seal and steam. Cover tightly and cook on low heat. One recipe seals the pot with foil and leaves it for 30 minutes, while another stirs now and then. Stirring too much is how jollof turns soft.
5. Smoke the bottom. For the last five to eight minutes, raise the heat until you smell a gentle toasted note, then switch off.

Getting a smoky bottom on a US stove

The toasted layer is deliberate, but there is a line between smoky and burned. Use a heavy pot, keep the lid on, and open the window or run the vent hood, because this step makes real smoke. Stay beside the stove and turn the heat off when the smell turns from toasty to sharp. If you would rather skip the risk, finish a minute earlier. The rice will still be flavorful, just less dramatic.

Seasoning the base before the rice goes in

Taste the liquid before the rice goes in. It should taste a little stronger than you want the finished rice to taste, because the grains soak it up and mute it. Many Nigerian recipes add seasoning cubes, curry, thyme and white pepper on top of a tomato mix, so tally the salt: the mix, any cubes and your own salt all count. The label also shows sodium per serving, so read it. Add fresh scotch bonnet gradually, since a mix that already contains peppers may bring some heat of its own.

Fixing a pot that went wrong

Cooking for a crowd

Scale the mix with the rice, not by guesswork, and taste the stock at the new size. Two medium pots are easier to steam evenly than one enormous pot, and they let you smoke each one gently. Cooked rice dishes should go into the refrigerator within two hours of cooking, or within one hour if the room is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, which matters at a party where the pot sits on a buffet table. Reheat leftovers until they are steaming hot.

Jollof spaghetti and other uses

Retailers commonly describe sachet tomato mixes as suitable for jollof, stews and pasta, so a pot of jollof spaghetti is a reasonable use. Treat the pasta like the rice: fry and season the base first, taste it, and then bring the pasta into it.

What goes on the plate with it

Fried chicken, fried plantain, moin moin and coleslaw are common companions, and goat asun is often served with it. Chicken is where the other seasonings come in: chicken spice for the bird, ginger garlic paste in the marinade, and a pinch of curry powder in the base. Many recipes also use seasoning cubes, so see how Maggi cubes are measured before you add both a mix and a cube. The full spices and seasoning range shows how the pieces fit together.

Gino Party Jollof at Afri Foods Basket

Gino Party Jollof is not for sale yet. Use the Notify me form on this page to leave your email and be told when it arrives. Gino is a trademark of its owner, and what is inside a pack can change between markets, so the label on the sachet you buy is the reference.