The Jollof Wars of Western Sydney are finally over, according to Frank Koroma of Jollof Junction, a popular food truck that moved into its first brick-and-mortar in Merrylands this month.
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that → accord → Merrylands
For years, West African countries such as Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana have been locked in a friendly-but-fiercely-contested cultural rivalry over who makes the best jollof, a one-pot tomato and capsicum “party rice” that is a fixture of celebrations.
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that → lock → celebrations
Almost every country has its own variation.
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country → have → variation
Nigerian jollof is prized for its smoky flavour, traditionally cooked over an open flame, where the rice is left to catch and char at the bottom.
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rice → prize → bottom
Ghanaian jollof tends to be more aromatic, while Salone jollof (from Sierra Leone) is often served with a meat or vegetable stew on the side.
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jollof → tend → side
Each has its own spice mix and cooking method.
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Each → have → mix
At Jollof Junction, Koroma has created a version that borrows from all the main styles.
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that → create → styles
“Our aim is to put an end to the Jollof Wars,” he says.
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he → put → Wars
“It’s called Jollof Junction because this is the junction where all the spices meet.”
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spices → call → ?
Koroma arrived in Australia in 2005, seeking refuge from the aftermath of civil war in Sierra Leone.
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Koroma → arrive → Leone
Good jollof was hard to find in Sydney back then, he says, and not many people were cooking it with passion or love.
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people → find → passion
“You need to pour your whole heart in it,” says Koroma.
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Koroma → need → it
In 2024, he and his wife Sonia Sobonie set out to change that, opening a food truck outside the Gas to Connect petrol station in Guildford West.
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he → set → West
There, Koroma and son Noah served hearty plates of jollof alongside ogbono, a Nigerian soup made from ground wild mango seeds, and acheke, an Ivorian-style cassava cous cous, to a small make-shift patio of tables and chairs.
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Koroma → serve → tables
This month, the family opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Merrylands.
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family → open → Merrylands
The 55-seat space has olive-toned banquettes and a covered outdoor area, where locals gather for a taste of home, to the sounds of Fela Kuti and vintage Afrobeats.
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locals → have → Kuti
The exact spice blend is a closely guarded secret, though onion, garlic, ginger and paprika form the base.
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blend → guard → base
Capsicums and onions are marinated in the spice mix, baked low and slow, then added to the pot with basmati rice and steamed for two hours.
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Capsicums → marinate → hours
The rice arrives a deep orange from the red palm oil, the grains plump and fluffy, the flavour gently sweet with a low, smoky heat.
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flavour → arrive → heat
“We’ve had Sierra Leoneans, Ghanaians, and Nigerians come and try our jollof, and they’ve all loved it,” says Koroma.
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Koroma → have → it
“They’ve not been able to tell the difference, and that’s what we want.”
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we → tell → what
Jollof is rarely eaten alone, and here it comes with a choice of sides.
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it → eat → sides
They’re so deliciously moreish I could eat them by the bucketload.
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I → ’re → bucketload
You can also get it with a side of suya, a popular Nigerian street food, made here with lamb shoulder in a dry rub of roasted peanut powder and cayenne pepper.
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You → get → powder
It’s sliced thin and grilled, with a smoky crust and firm, jerky-like chew.
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It → slice → crust
The black-eyed beans, soft and creamy, are topped with plantains, deep-fried when slightly over-ripe so they turn toffee-sweet.
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they → top → plantains
Even Koroma has been surprised by the popularity of the egusi, a thick soup made from ground melon seeds, which give it a nutty, slightly grainy texture.
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which → surprise → texture
Here, it’s loaded with lamb neck, chicken wings and tripe and served with fufu, a playdough-soft ball of pounded cassava root.
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it → load → root
The idea is that you pinch off a piece and use it to scoop out the soup, but it’s also delicious on its own.
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it → pinch → own
The restaurant menu builds on the food truck originals, with a few new additions such as cassava leaf stew and golden deep-fried puff puff balls served with ice-cream for dessert.
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menu → build → dessert
Prices: Starters $10-$20, mains $25-$40
Three more food trucks-turned-restaurants to try
Firepop, Enmore
Firepop was named New Restaurant of the Year in the previous Good Food Guide, and it has only gone from strength to strength since.
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it → turn → strength
Owner Raymond Hou sources exceptional produce for an extended menu of grilled lamb, wagyu and seafood; while Hou’s life and business partner Alina Van knows what wine or cocktail you want before you do.
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you → source → wine
137 Enmore Road, Enmore, firepop.com.au
Papi’s Birria, various
Driving down the Princes Highway through Carlton, you may have noticed a queue leading to Papi’s, a mobile food trailer specialising in birria tacos.
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you → drive → tacos
Owner Lawrence Diaz uses about 30 ingredients for his broth, including dried ancho and guajillo chilies, white pepper and onion.
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Diaz → use → ancho
Osso bucco, rib and chuck is cooked in broth for 16 hours, for tender pulled meat served atop grilled tortillas.
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bucco → cook → tortillas
This is one of three locations, now including brick-and-mortar restaurants at Darlinghurst and Marrickville Metro.
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This → include → Darlinghurst
First operating as a food truck in 2022, Smoky Cravings developed a cult following so quickly it opened a permanent restaurant a year later and has since expanded to four sites across Sydney.
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it → operate → Sydney
It’s easy to see why it’s so popular.
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it → ’ → ?
The menu is both a perfect introduction to Filipino food (try the barbecued, vinegar-sharpened chicken inasal, or sticky soy-glazed skewers of pork belly grilled over charcoal), along with plenty of deep cuts for the well-versed (batangas goto, a slow-cooked offal soup served over rice).
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menu → try → rice
smokycravings.com.au
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently.
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reviews → book → smokycravings.com.au
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
