African Food Recipes for Kids: How to Make the Best Jollof Rice Cups

African food recipes for kids usually involve some type of rice.

It’s usually jollof rice, fried rice, ofada rice or some other variation.

I’ll be honest with you.

I love the concept of introducing my toddler to delicious African foods.

However, I’m not a fan of the mess that comes with rice.

He literally had a few grains on his eye lashes the first time I attempted to offer him rice.

I thought it was cute.

Yes, I’m a new mom. Lol

By the 2nd time, I was a little confused as to how on earth he managed to get rice into his diaper.

By the 3rd time, I knew I needed a new way to offer him rice without ruining the carpet!

Cue, these jollof rice cups.

They are exactly what you think they are.

Delicious jollof rice but in toddler-friendly cup form.

Let me tell you how much my 1 year old loved these.

He loved them so much that I thought he would finish just 2. He ate 4. FOUR of these.

He loved them so much that he ate them all by himself.

Yes, you read that right.

I did not have to play airplane, read a book, or dangle toys in front of him.

I literally put him in his chair, put these in front of him and he ate them all!

 

Okay, okay. I had to cut them up into little pieces for him. I also had to go back and forth from the kitchen to bring him more everytime he finished the bits in front of him. But that’s literally all I had to do.

He loved them, he ate them, and I am a very happy mama!

Needless to say, this easy African food recipe for kids is a winner in our home.

Just like this easy breezy banana oatmeal muffins recipe.

I’m sorry I have not done a complete nutritional analysis on these jollof cups.

However, use these tips to make this meal as healthy as possible for your child.

African Food Recipes for Kids: Healthy Tips

1. Use as little cheese as possible.
   We use shredded light cheddar cheese because it is a good source of calcium. However, use sparingly because of the high saturated fat content.
2. Use brown rice for the jollof.
   Brown rice retains a bit more nutrients than the white alternatives – so always go with brown rice where possible
3. Go easy on the cooking spray.
   There’s no need to “fleet” the whole pan with oil. There is more than enough fat from the cheese to keep this yummy recipe moist 🙂

Okay, enough yapping from me. Let’s move on to the good stuff a.k.a, the recipe!