Ghanaian Jollof cauliflower rice with crayfish tails | Jollof Shinkafa | What is the national dish of Ghana?

Jollof Rice is a dish that features in may West African countries, Ghana being one of the foremost.

The beautiful red colour that this dish carries is all down to the palm oil, the oil of choice for the region.

It is often cooked with various meat, such as chicken and/or beer, this version contains crayfish tails and cauliflower rice. That makes this a side dish version, in this case, served with Nigerian Lamb Suya.

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Jollof Shinkafa | Ghanaian Jollof cauliflower rice with crayfish tails

Take a look at the cauliflower rice recipe first, cook it for three minutes and then come back here - you'll be gone 5 minutes.

If you were to cook Jollof Rice with actual rice, you would follow the same method here but use more liquid as the rice would absorb it. In this case, we still use a good volume of liquid but let it reduce and concentrate to build the flavour and then mix the rice through it and logically thinking, this version should have a deeper flavour and it's totally healthier.

Course

Main Dish, Side Dish

Cuisine

African, Ghanaian, West African

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

For the cauliflower rice

• 1 medium cauliflower grated in to a microwaveable bowl mixed with a handful of finely chopped coriander stalks
• 1 bunch fresh coriander stalks finely chopped and added to cauliflower rice and leaves roughly chopped for garnish

For the sauce

• 1 tin chopped tomatoes or 6 large tomatoes chopped
• 1 large white onion chopped
• 200 g tomato puree
• 4 tbls red palm oil
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes season carefully to taste
• 150 g crayfish tails pre-cooked is fine.
• 150 g okra
• 500 ml fish stock
• 1/2 red pepper chopped in to bite sized chunks

All the spices (for the sauce)

• 1 scotch bonnet chilli finely chopped, deseed if it bothers you
• 1 pinch cumin powder
• 1/2 nutmeg finely grated
• 2 cloves garlic finely chooped
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder

Course Main Dish, Side Dish Cuisine African, Ghanaian, West African Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Servings people Ingredients For the cauliflower rice 1 medium cauliflower grated in to a microwaveable bowl mixed with a handful of finely chopped coriander stalks 1 bunch fresh coriander stalks finely chopped and added to cauliflower rice and leaves roughly chopped for garnish For the sauce 1 tin chopped tomatoes or 6 large tomatoes chopped 1 large white onion chopped 200 g tomato puree 4 tbls red palm oil 1 tsp sea salt flakes season carefully to taste 150 g crayfish tails pre-cooked is fine. 150 g okra 500 ml fish stock 1/2 red pepper chopped in to bite sized chunks All the spices (for the sauce) 1 scotch bonnet chilli finely chopped, deseed if it bothers you 1 pinch cumin powder 1/2 nutmeg finely grated 2 cloves garlic finely chooped 1 tsp cinnamon powder 1 tsp chilli powder

Instructions

1. Heat a chef's pan or wok over a medium heat and add all the Palm Oil, don't let it burn. Once it's hot enough, add the onion and enjoy the colour transformation, this should get you in the mood.

   
2. When the onion has softened add all the spices and stir. Next add the tomato puree, stir and then add the tinned chopped tomatoes - stir, you should then have a good base.
3. Pour in 200ml of the fish stock and you'll have a rather wet mixture. You need to make 500ml (or the maximum that the stock cube states, unless you make it yourself) but only use 200ml of it for the two people portion - you don't want it over concentrated. If you were cooking rice you would use more as the rice would absorb the stock, not so when using cauliflower, and do not worry about loss of flavour, we're about to go to town on flavour.

   
4. Leave this mixture to simmer and reduce, halfway through (see pic) add the red peppers and okra and then reduce further until you get a wet paste - this process will concentrate the flavour. Now is the time to taste and season with salt, carefully!

   
5. When happy, add your cauliflower rice, which should have been pre-made and cooked for 3 minutes, stir and then add the crayfish.

   
6. From here, it's just a case of mixing everything together and heating it through - a few mins tops.

   
7. Grab a warm serving plate, big pile in the middle and garnish with roughly chopped coriander leaves. If you can get it, serve with Hot Shito Sauce.

   
8. Thank you Ghana
   

   
   Na gode