Tuna jollof with carrots and green beans: Classic West African rice dish cooked by steaming rice in tomato gravy and finished with the addition of tuna. Carrots and green beans make an excellent side.
When life hands you rice and stew, make jollof, init it? If you have got some tuna in the pantry, stir it in and you good to go. This was basically me at the university, I was just one of the numerous who had nothing in the fridge than some boring tomato gravy which had been there for about two to three weeks.
After, those long and boring lectures, I will go to my balcony, make jollof, add some tuna, have a generous serving and ignore the four plus assignments and group assignments I had to work on. Susssh!….the pillow was not my pride.
Jollof with tuna was one of the meals we will eat every Saturday whiles growing up. It was second to herrings and beans jollof. Due to that, I am partial to these two and I will choose it anytime anywhere.
Now enjoy this jollof with carrots and green beans. Feel free to add tuna.
What meal did you grow up with that you don’t mind eating all the time?
- Half of basic jollof gravy link in notes
- 2cups/ 440g rice
- 1/2 teaspoon grounded nutmeg
- 1 chicken stock cube substitute chicken stock, check notes
- 1 teaspoon heaped grounded shrimp
- 1-2 solid can tuna in sunflower oil or any oil
- Salt as required
- Water (about 1 1/2 cup to 2 cups) or as required
- 4 large carrots about 1lb
- 14-16 green beans about 60g
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon oil
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Drain oil from tuna and set aside. Put gravy in a heavy bottom saucepan on medium heat. Add nutmeg, grounded shrimp and chicken stock cube if using. Rinse the rice and add it to the gravy. Add water and salt, cover and bring to a boil.
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Cover tightly and bring to boil. Immediately it starts boiling, remove lid, using a thin wooden ladle or a long fork stir from bottom to top. Cover tightly and let simmer on low heat for 10-12 minutes.
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After the time has lapsed, remove lid, stir in the tuna and cover tightly. Let it simmer for 8 to10 more minutes till its cooked through.
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Cut the carrots and green beans into desired sizes and finely mince garlic. Put oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add garlic and fry till fragrant. Add green beans and carrots, a dash of salt, stir and cover tightly. No need to add water, let it steam in its own juices till desired tenderness is achieved. Serve with jollof.
You can substitute chicken stock cube with chicken stock, use enough chicken stock as you will use water to cook the jollof. Brands of rice differ, do check with the amount of water you regularly use to cook regular rice and use less than that for jollof. Remember, we using steam.
Other jollof recipes on the blog
Coconut jollof (makes a great vegetarian side dish)
Beef jollof
