Jollof arancini
If you’re reading this, you’re probably aware of the classic West African dish, Jollof Rice – a long-time staple in at family gathering, celebrations or even just a tasty weeknight tea. In this fusion recipe, we will bring together two cuisines that really know how to deliver on flavour: Cameroon and Italy, as we make Jollof Arancini. But where did it all start?
Rice has been grown in West Africa for thousands of years and is thought to have been domesticated as African Rice (close to what we now know as long grain) around 3,000 years ago by the Upper Niger River, in the place we now call Mali, before spreading throughout the region. Today, it is still grown commercially in Ghana and Nigeria, though the crops are fast being replaced by high yielding Asian Rice.
Jollof Rice itself can be traced back is far as the 14th century, in the region then known as The Senegambia (now parts of Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania), with Senegal often cited as “The Motherland” of Jollof. Indeed, it is thought to have roots in Senegal’s national dish, Thieboudienne – a one pot dish traditionally prepared with a tomato sauce, fish & broken rice. Jollof itself consists of rice, cooking oil, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger and chilli peppers, along with stock, salt and a blend of herbs & spices varying by region. Though the dish is typically served with chicken, beef or fish, when brought back to basics, Jollof is an accidentally vegan dream and leaves us with a lot of room to get creative with vegetables and meat-substitutes.
Today, this dish still varies between the countries of West Africa, using different spices, meats and vegetables to create unique flavour profiles. You may have even seen “Jollof Wars” taking place on social media, where West African natives compete to see which country makes the best Jollof, the primary contenders being Ghana, Nigeria and of course, Cameroon.
Now, as we head directly north of Cameroon, we find ourselves on the Italian island of Sicily, home to the humble Arancini. Literally translated as “little orange”, presumably referring to its shape and colour, Arancini in its traditional form holds similarities to Jollof, with rice and tomato sauce at its base. Typically, meat, cheese, nuts or vegetables would then be added to the rice, before rolling into balls and covering in breadcrumbs to be deep fried (though in this recipe we will be baking them instead).
Though now widely known across Italy and the Western World, Arancini’s origins can be traced back as far as the 10th century and is thought to have been a staple in Sicilian cuisine ever since. Arancini is particularly significant in the coastal cities of Palermo, Siracusa, and Trapani, where it is served as a traditional dish to celebrate the Feast of Santa Lucia, a saints day observed in Italy and Scandinavia. Though Santa Lucia was a 3rd century Sicilian native, the tradition did not begin until 1646, when a severe famine was relieved by the arrival a grain supply ship on the day of the Feast of Santa Lucia.
Ingredients
Vegan / Gluten-free
Serves 4
Prep time: 1 hour
cooking time: 1 hour
total time: mins
Stage 1
The first step is to make the Jollof rice a day in advance – it needs to be day-old rice or rice that is completely cool to help with the binding process. Follow our simple easy Jollof rice recipe here.
Stage 2
80g Firm Tofu
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Tamari
Stage 3
110ml soy milk
10g lemon juice
Stage 4
400g – cool / day old Jollof rice
50g Fine semolina flour
55g cold water
500g GF Bread crumbs
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees / Gas mark 3. Cut the tofu into 1cm by 1cm cutes, combine all of stage 1 together and place on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
2. Mix all of stage 3 together and put to one side. The soy milk should start to thicken.
3. Mix all of stage 4 together minus the bread crumbs. It should be wet and sticky in texture but still combine if created into a ball.
4. To shape balls – cup your palms and place approx.. 20g of the rice mixture into your hands and place a little indent in the middle. See the photo below.
Place 2 pieces of Tofu in the indent and cover with approx. 10g or rice mixture. Roll into a ball, dip into the buttermilk and cover with breadcrumbs. Then place on a lined baking tray. Repeat this until all the mixture is used.
5. While you are rolling your balls, pe-heat the oven to 180 degrees / Gas mark 3. Once all the mixture is finished bake the jollof arancini balls for 15 to 20minutes.
6. Serve Hot.
Writern by Hayley Lawson and Ngwafu Tansie