A Nigerian dinner party at home works best with a short menu: jollof rice, one soup with a swallow, a protein, a tray of small chops and two drinks. Cook the stew base and the meat the day before, and the day itself is mostly frying, reheating and setting the table.
Here is a menu for 8 to 10 guests, a shopping list and a timeline that gets food out without you missing your own party.
The menu for 8 to 10 guests
Keep it to dishes you have cooked before. A party is not the night to try your first egusi.
- Jollof rice, the centre of the table
- Egusi soup with eba and poundo yam
- Peppered chicken, or turkey or goat meat if you prefer
- Fried plantain, or dodo
- Small chops: puff-puff, spring rolls or samosas, and peppered gizzard
- Drinks: zobo and Chapman, plus plenty of water
Jollof rice
About 1 kg (2.2 lb) of long-grain parboiled rice feeds 8 to 10 people when there are other dishes. Cook it in a blended base of tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet and onions, with thyme, curry powder and stock. Let the bottom catch slightly on low heat at the end for that smoky party flavour.
Soup and swallow
Egusi is the safest crowd choice, because most guests know it and it reheats well. Offer two swallows, such as eba and poundo yam, and make them in the last 15 minutes so they are soft and hot.
The protein
Boil the chicken with onions, thyme, curry powder and a stock cube, then fry or grill it and toss it in pepper sauce. Keep the cooking stock. It goes into the jollof and makes a real difference.
Small chops and drinks
Small chops are the bite-sized snacks guests eat while they wait for the main food. Puff-puff is easy to make fresh, and spring rolls and samosas can be bought frozen and baked. Zobo is dried hibiscus leaves simmered with ginger and pineapple, then sweetened and chilled. Chapman mixes orange soda, lemon-lime soda, grenadine and a few dashes of aromatic bitters over ice, with cucumber and citrus slices. The bitters contain alcohol, so leave them out for a fully alcohol-free jug.
A ready-made jollof rice mix is a handy backup if this is your first time cooking for a crowd.
Your shopping list
From the African grocery
- Long-grain parboiled rice, 1 kg (2.2 lb)
- Ground egusi, about 500 g (1 lb)
- Garri and poundo yam flour, one bag each
- Palm oil and ground crayfish
- Stockfish or dried fish for the egusi (optional)
- Stock cubes, dried thyme and curry powder
- Dried zobo (hibiscus) leaves
From the supermarket
- Chicken drumsticks and thighs, 3 to 4 kg (6.5 to 9 lb)
- Gizzards, about 1 kg (2.2 lb)
- Tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet peppers and onions
- Spinach for the egusi
- Ripe plantains, 6 to 8
- Flour, sugar, instant yeast and nutmeg for puff-puff
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Frozen spring rolls or samosas
- Ginger, pineapple, cucumbers, lemons and oranges
- Orange soda, lemon-lime soda, grenadine, aromatic bitters and lots of ice
The African Market’s soup ingredients and yam flour sections cover the palm oil, crayfish and poundo yam.
A timeline for the day
Two days before
- Do the big shop, so a missing ingredient is not a crisis.
- Move frozen meat to the fridge to thaw.
The day before
- Blend and fry the tomato and pepper base. Make enough for the jollof and the chicken sauce.
- Boil and season the chicken and gizzards. Strain and keep the stock.
- Make the zobo and chill it.
- Wash and chop the spinach, and slice the onions.
On the day
- Late morning: cook the egusi soup. It tastes better after resting a few hours.
- Early afternoon: fry or grill the chicken and gizzards, then toss them in pepper sauce.
- Three hours before guests arrive: cook the jollof. It needs about an hour, then keep it covered.
- Two hours before: mix the puff-puff batter and leave it to rise for about an hour. Set the table and chill the drinks.
- One hour before: fry the puff-puff and plantain, and bake the spring rolls.
- When guests arrive: serve small chops and drinks. Mix the Chapman now so the ice does not melt.
- About 45 minutes later: reheat the soup, make the eba and poundo yam, and call everyone to eat.
Hosting in a Toronto home or condo
- Ventilation: frying pepper and puff-puff in a condo kitchen can set off a smoke alarm. Run the range hood on high, fry in small batches and crack a window, even in January. Never cover or switch off an alarm: in Ontario, disabling a smoke alarm is an offence.
- Coats and boots: shoes come off at the door in many Toronto homes, and winter boots bring in snow and salt. Clear space by the door and put down a mat or tray.
- Pepper levels: if some guests are new to Nigerian food, keep the jollof medium and serve extra pepper sauce on the side.
- Allergies: crayfish is a shellfish, and small chops are often fried in shared oil. Mention both to anyone who asks.
- Leftovers: have containers ready for take-home plates. Health Canada advises throwing out cooked food left at room temperature for more than two hours, so refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Frequently asked questions
How much jollof rice do I need for 10 people?
About 1 kg (2.2 lb) of uncooked rice is enough for 8 to 10 guests when you also serve soup, swallow and small chops. Cook more if jollof is the only main dish.
Can I cook jollof rice the day before?
Yes. Cool it quickly, refrigerate it, and reheat it covered on low heat or in the oven with a splash of stock so it does not dry out.
What is the easiest swallow to make for a crowd?
Eba and poundo yam are the fastest. Eba needs only garri and hot water, and poundo yam flour is stirred into boiling water for a few minutes.
What are small chops?
Small chops are bite-sized Nigerian party snacks such as puff-puff, spring rolls, samosas and peppered gizzard. They are served first, while guests arrive and before the main meal.