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    Home » African Recipes

    PUBLISHED: Dec 30, 2020 · UPDATED: Jan 17, 2023 by Precious · This post may contain affiliate links · 24 Comments

    African Fried Rice

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    Whether cooking for your family or for friends, this African Fried Rice is the celebratory dish to make! It is so flavorful and filled with textures from crisp vegetables to super tasty bits of chicken.

    Wok filled with African Fried Rice

    We love African Recipes. From Nigerian Beef Stew to Jollof Rice With Chicken, we are bound to enjoy an African dinner every week!

    Why Is This Called African Fried Rice?

    I titled this post "African Fried Rice" because this recipe is informed by the way I have experienced fried rice in two African countries: Nigeria and Cameroon.

    There are many variations of fried rice in different countries across the continent of Africa.

    Bowl of African Fried Rice

    Ingredients For African Fried Rice

    Here is a run-down of the ingredients you need for African fried rice. Be sure to check out the full recipe below for a detailed list of ingredients and their measurements.

    1. Parboiled rice. You need sturdy rice that will not easily turn mushy. I use parboiled rice because it serves this purpose perfectly. Basmati rice would also work in a pinch.

    2. Curry powder. For color and flavor. Use good quality curry powder.

    3. Thyme. For flavor. Dried thyme, ground thyme, or fresh thyme would work. The recipe calls for ground thyme but you could substitute it with any other variation of thyme you have on hand.

    4. Bay leaf. To infuse the rice with flavor as it cooks.

    5. Beef liver. For meatiness and flavor.

    6. Onion. For flavor.

    7. White pepper. For flavor. You could substitute white pepper with black pepper. One main difference between white and black pepper is that using black pepper will lead to black specks showing in the food, unlike white pepper. I prefer the flavor of white pepper in most dishes.

    8. Garlic. For flavor.

    9. Ginger. For flavor.

    9. Chicken. For meatiness. I prefer to use chicken thighs because they are so flavorful. But you could replace them with chicken breasts.

    10. Mixed vegetables. I use a combination of carrots, green beans, bell pepper, sweet corn, and peas to add pops of color and more nutrients to the fried rice.

    11. Green onions. For flavor.

    12. Oil. For sautéing and frying the rice. Vegetable oil or any neutral-tasting oil would work.

    Chicken Fried Rice in a wok

    How To Make Fried Rice African Style

    Here is a summary of how to make African Fried Rice. Be sure to check out the full recipe below for detailed directions.

    1. Boil rice with seasoning.

    2. Sauté seasoned chicken. Remove from pot.

    3. Sauté beef liver. Remove from pot.

    4. Sauté onions. Add garlic and ginger so the spices can bloom in the oil.

    5. Add vegetables to sauteed onions.

    6. Add rice to the pot and stir.

    7. Add back chicken and liver to the pot and stir.

    And that's how you make African Fried Rice.

    Wok of fried rice with chicken and liver

    What To Serve With African Fried Rice

    African Fried Rice makes a complete meal on its own but you could also serve it with sweet fried plantains, baked chicken, and vegetable salad.

    Useful Tools For Making Fried Rice (affiliate)

    • Wok. Woks are great for fried rice and stir-fries because they have a large surface for stir-frying.
    • Mortar and pestle for pounding garlic and ginger into a paste. (You could use a blender instead.)
    • Wood Pepper Grinder for freshly ground white or black pepper.

    Watch How To Make African Fried Rice

    Watch me making African Fried Rice in this video. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel so you do not miss any of my videos.

    More Rice Dinners To Try

    • Jollof Rice With Chicken
    • Jollof Rice With Shrimp
    • One-Pot Beef Fried Rice
    • Easy Coconut Rice

    Related Recipes

    Looking for more African recipes to try? Try these:

    • Nigerian Beef Stew
    • African Chicken Stew
    • African Chicken Peanut Stew
    • Steak Fried Rice

    If you make this African fried rice recipe, please consider leaving a star rating below or tagging us on Instagram, @preciouscore. I love hearing from you!

    Wok filled with African Fried Rice

    African Fried Rice

    African Fried Rice is incredibly flavorful, so tasty with the combination of ingredients used. It is the fried rice that is often present at Nigerian or Cameroonian parties.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: African
    Prep Time: 45 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 754kcal
    Author: Precious

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups long grain parboiled rice see Note 1
    • 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
    • 3 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder see Note 3
    • 2 teaspoons curry powder
    • 1 bay leaf
    • ½ pound liver
    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • ½ teaspoon ground thyme, divided substitute with dried thyme
    • ½ teaspoon white pepper, divided
    • 8 garlic cloves, peeled
    • 1 ½ inches ginger root, peeled
    • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
    • ½ cup vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil
    • 1 cup chopped carrots
    • ½ cup chopped green beans
    • 1 cup chopped bell pepper (from one large bell pepper) I used red bell pepper but any color bell pepper would work
    • ½ cup frozen sweet corn rinsed and thawed
    • ½ cup frozen sweet peas rinsed and thawed
    • 3 green onions, chopped
    • 1 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper, optional see Note 6

    Instructions

    Cook Rice

    • Place 6 cups of water into a pot. Set pot on high heat and bring the water to a boil. To the water add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder, 1 teaspoon of curry powder and the bay leaf. Thoroughly wash the rice (wash about 3 times to remove starch) and add into the pot. Reduce the heat to medium, cover pot and let the rice cook until done.
      Once the rice is done open pot, fluff the rice and spread open the rice to cool. You could also transfer the rice to a large tray and spread to cool.

    Cook Liver

    • Place the liver into a pot set on medium heat. Add half cup of water, a quarter teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of the chopped onions, one eighth teaspoon of the thyme and one eighth teaspoon of white pepper. Stir everything so the seasoning is evenly distributed. Cover the pot and let it cook until the liver is tender. Watch well and if the liquid dries up before the liver is tender, add a little more liquid.
    • Remove liver from its stock and place on a plate to cool down.

    Make Garlic Ginger Paste

    • Place the garlic and ginger into a mortar and pound into a paste. Or place the garlic and ginger into a blender, add a little water and blend into a paste.

    Season Chicken

    • In a medium bowl or on a plate combine the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the garlic ginger paste, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ⅛ teaspoon of thyme, and ⅛ teaspoon of white pepper. Mix everything well so the seasoning is evenly distributed on the chicken.

    Cut Up Liver and Season

    • Dice the cooled-down liver. To the liver add half a teaspoon of the garlic ginger paste, one eighth of a teaspoon of salt and one eighth of a teaspoon of white pepper. Mix everything well so the liver is evenly seasoned.

    Make Fried Rice

    • Place a wok or wide bottom pot on high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok and swirl around so the wok is evenly coated.
    • Add the chicken to the wok and distribute so the chicken is on a single layer. Let it cook for 2 minutes then stir the chicken around. Let it cook for another 4-5 minutes while stirring around to prevent burns. The chicken should be fully cooked and must have gained some color at the end of this time. Remove the chicken from the wok. Some oil should be left in the wok if not, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok.
    • Let the oil heat up for 1-2 minutes then add the diced liver. Let it cook while stirring from time to time until the liver browns but doesn't burn. Remove the liver from the wok.
    • To the wok add the remaining oil and heat up. Add the remaining chopped onions and sauté until translucent.
    • Add in the garlic-ginger paste and stir so the flavors can bloom. Let the garlic-ginger paste cook in the oil for about 2 minutes.
    • Add the vegetables. Add in the carrots and stir for 1 minute. Add the green beans and stir for 30 seconds. Add the bell peppers and stir for 30 seconds. Add the corn and peas and stir for 30 seconds. Add in the green onions and stir for 30 seconds.
    • Add seasoning to the vegetables. Add the remaining curry powder, thyme, and chicken bouillon powder. Stir well to combine.
    • Add the rice to the wok. Add the rice to the wok in 4 batches mixing everything to combine carefully each time the rice is added.
    • Add back the chicken and liver to the wok and stir to combine.
    • Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon of white pepper to the rice and mix well to combine.
    • Turn off the heat. African fried rice is ready.
    • Serve warm with fried plantains and grilled chicken.

    Notes

    1. Parboiled rice here refers to the kind of rice to use (rice labeled as "Parboiled" rice for example Uncle Ben's Parboiled Rice). It is not referring to rice that you parboiled (cooked half way).  
    2. You could use frozen mixed vegetables instead of cutting up vegetables from scratch.
    3. Chicken bouillon powder is a stock powder made partially with chicken and other ingredients. Using it is a great way to add flavor to food.
    4. You could replace the frozen sweet corn and peas with canned corn and peas.
    5. Store this African Fried Rice in a dish with a tight-fitting lid in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or place on the stove-top in a pan and heat on medium heat.
    6. If using habanero or scotch bonnet pepper, add it to the garlic-ginger paste and blend.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 754kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 1385mg | Potassium: 667mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 12234IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 6mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @preciouscore or tag #preciouscore!

    This post contains affiliate links.

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    Sharing is caring!

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    • Yum this
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    About Precious

    Welcome to my core! I am Precious Nkeih, the recipe developer and writer right here on my blog, Precious Core. My goal is to show you insanely delicious recipes you can replicate in your kitchen. And I love to tell stories too. Hope you find recipes here that will make cooking easier for you! Check me out on YouTube at YouTube.com/PreciousKitchen.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chileshe says

      December 31, 2020 at 12:00 am

      Very simple and delicious, loved it.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        December 31, 2020 at 9:37 am

        Thank you so much!

        Reply
    2. Lee Estell says

      January 01, 2021 at 9:51 am

      Thanks, so full of spice, very nice. Thanks

      Reply
      • Precious says

        January 01, 2021 at 9:21 pm

        You are welcome, Lee. Thank you!

        Reply
    3. Pat says

      January 01, 2021 at 3:45 pm

      Gave it five stars based on ingredients and on how you explained preparation. Always looking for new fried rice ideas. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        January 01, 2021 at 9:18 pm

        Thank you for your kind words, Pat!

        Reply
    4. Emiliana says

      January 02, 2021 at 10:07 am

      This dish is a must cook,i love beautiful,spicy and colorful dishes and here is one,thanks.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        January 05, 2021 at 11:42 pm

        You are so welcome, Emiliana.

        Reply
    5. Lorraine Cyr says

      January 03, 2021 at 2:15 pm

      This looks nutritious to. I'm always looking for easy quick meals.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        January 05, 2021 at 11:40 pm

        Hope you enjoy, Lorraine!

        Reply
    6. Onome says

      January 05, 2021 at 10:39 pm

      The fact that I didn't see eggs there makes me know u know what u were saying

      Reply
      • Precious says

        January 05, 2021 at 11:35 pm

        LOL thanks.

        Reply
    7. Danielle says

      January 11, 2021 at 11:16 pm

      After seeing this recipe, I asked my mom to make it for my birthday dinner, with one slight change find a meat other than liver. She used pork. The rice was absolutely delicious with all of it's vegetables and two kinds of meat. Although next time we will be cutting the recipe in half. Tonight 4 adults ate it as their main course, I have made 6 lunches for this week and still have leftovers.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        January 18, 2021 at 8:21 am

        So glad you loved it, Danielle!

        Reply
    8. Nah says

      July 09, 2021 at 9:09 am

      Thank you Precious Core. That looks insanely delicious.

      Reply
      • Precious says

        July 26, 2021 at 1:24 pm

        You are welcome sis.

        Reply
    9. Synthia says

      August 08, 2021 at 4:20 pm

      Thanks for the recipe

      Reply
      • Precious says

        August 13, 2021 at 1:08 am

        You're welcome.

        Reply
    10. Nancy Dines says

      April 02, 2022 at 5:55 pm

      In the 90’s I used to eat this, but had friends prepare it, I watched - but never did the cooking!
      So I can’t tell you how happy I am to find this recipe! And it’s very anthentic, my friends were West African, (and they used the scotch bonnet!)
      I have a few questions:
      I don’t have a wok. Will a dutch oven do?
      Can I omit the liver? I’m afraid of liver!
      I remember my friends putting a few drop of maggi seasoning, do you think that’s ok to use?
      And finally, the one stand-out thing I remember about the rice, was a little crust that formed on the bottom of the pan. I’m pretty sure they used un cooked rice, and as it cooked, undisturbed, a layer of fried rice formed on the bottom. The crust! The best bit!
      I will check out your YouTube channel and subscribe! That’s my way of thanking you for sharing this recipe. I consider it like I found a long lost recipe, makes me so happy. I’m going to cook it tomorrow!!!

      Reply
      • Precious says

        April 03, 2022 at 11:05 pm

        Hi Nancy, I am so glad this recipe brings back sweet memories for you! To answer your questions:
        Yes, you can use a dutch oven and yes, you can also omit the liver. I just made some last weekend without the liver and it tasted great! Also, the liquid Maggi seasoning is okay to use but note that it is salty so be careful with how you add salt and the bouillon seasoning which is equally salty.
        Hope you enjoy!

        Reply
    11. Enih says

      June 03, 2022 at 1:26 pm

      Very very nice I love it

      Reply
      • Precious says

        June 07, 2022 at 12:23 pm

        Thank you Enih!

        Reply
    12. Ngwa Collette says

      January 02, 2023 at 12:42 am

      Waooo I love it. It looks so tasty and colourful

      Reply
      • Precious says

        January 02, 2023 at 9:56 pm

        Thank you dear.

        Reply

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