Maya Angelou’s Simple Jollof Rice Recipe Is Hidden in the Weirdest Place

Maya Angelou is known for her work as a poet, memoirist and civil rights advocate, but the literary powerhouse also spent lots of time cooking and sharing recipes. In fact, Angelou authored two cookbooks, Great Food, All Day Long and Hallelujah! The Welcome Table, and once said in an interview that she owned more than 300 cookbooks herself. But one of Angelou’s treasured recipes is getting some attention lately after social media users found it hidden in an unexpected place.

Angelou lent her simple jollof rice recipe to a pretty unique cookbook—1996’s In the Kitchen With Miss Piggy: Fabulous Recipes From My Famous Celebrity Friends. The book, a Muppet-themed spoof on the classic ‘90s cookbook In the Kitchen With Rosie: Oprah’s Favorite Recipes, features recipes from greats like John Travolta, Jean Stapleton and, of course, Kermit the Frog, but a redditor shared a photo of their copy of the book commenting that one of the recipes she was most excited to make was Angelou’s jollof rice. She also uploaded photos of the full recipe to Imgur, and we were excited to take a look at it.

EatingWell contributor Simileoluwa Adebajo, an expert on Nigerian food, shared her own version of jollof rice last year, explaining that the dish originated in Senegal before becoming popular across Western Africa—and then becoming a globally beloved bite.

“Although jollof rice is a Nigerian fan favorite, it actually originated in the 19th century with the Wolof people in Senegal, where it’s referred to as thiéboudienne or chebu jen,” Adebajo shared. “The dish, celebrated throughout Western Africa, is made by cooking rice with aromatics, plenty of spices and a richly flavored tomato-bell pepper sauce.”

Angelou’s version of jollof rice is incredibly simple, using only 10 ingredients. To make it, gather long-grain rice, peanut oil, salt, canned beef consomme, some water, chopped onions, diced ham, canned whole tomatoes (diced and undrained), canned tomato paste, dried hot red peppers, a few hard-boiled eggs and a handful of chopped fresh parsley. 

First, rinse the rice until the water runs clear, and drain it. You’ll also want to soak the dried red peppers Angelou’s recipe calls for. Next, heat oil and salt in a saucepan and add just a quarter of your rice. Saute the rice until lightly browned, then add the remaining rice, beef consomme and enough water to cover the rice by about an inch. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for an hour.

Next, you’ll want to make the tomato-based sauce for the rice. Saute the onions in oil until they’re transparent, then stir in ham, tomatoes (and their juice), and tomato paste. Cover and cook the mixture for about 10 minutes, then drain off a cup of liquid and set it aside.

When the rice and sauce are cooked, remove those dried red peppers from their soaking liquid and squeeze them over the rice. Add the ham and tomato mixture to the saucepan and cover and cook the mixture until the liquid is absorbed. 

To assemble the dish, butter a mixing bowl and arrange the hard-boiled eggs, halved and cut-side-down, in the bottom of the bowl. Sprinkle the bowl with parsley, then add the rice and pack it firmly down into the bowl. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes to mold together, then turn the bowl over onto a serving plate. 

Adebajo says jollof rice is best served alongside grilled, roasted or stewed meat with a side of plantains. Not only does the dish sound delicious, but it’s got health benefits, too. Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants and may reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, in addition to being hydrating and full of vitamin C. And, in addition to being quite comforting, rice can be a quick source of energy that’s easily digested. Add in Adebajo’s suggested side of plantains and you’ll also get a boost to your digestive and immune systems, along with a possible reduction in cholesterol levels. 

For this recipe alone, we’re adding Miss Piggy’s celebrity cookbook to our list of used books we hope to come across one day. Until then, we’re glad to have Angelou’s simple, 10-ingredient recipe to try out in our own kitchens. See the full recipe—which serves eight—on Imgur and save it for your next delicious potluck.