Chef Pierre Thiam of Harlem’s Teranga Makes Classic Jollof Feel Fresh

He pulls from his West African roots for a perfect bowl.
Jollof spiced roast salmon and black eyed pea salad
Photo by Jesse Sparks

Everyone loves a classic. At least, that was my “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality when I strolled into chef Pierre Thiam’s airy all-day café Teranga in New York’s Harlem neighborhood. I’d been lured in by the array of fresh takes on classic West African staples: caramelized plantains, black-eyed peas salad, grilled chicken with a peanut Yassa sauce, and most of all jollof fonio. For his riff, Thiam switches out the rice, stewed in a rich, soul-warming tomato sauce, for the small West African supergrain fonio. On my first bite, I knew I had to rethink my theory. By the time I finished, I decided I had to track down Thiam to hear the secrets behind his recipe. Here, he explains every step of the process.

The Tomato
Jollof isn’t jollof without tomato, and Thiam’s begins with a hearty dollop of fried paste. A crowning scoop of purée ties the dish together, adding a hit of acid and tang.

The Sides
Bowls come with any two of Thiam’s five side options. We’re particularly into the lime-ginger black-eyed-pea salad and the Ghanaian kelewele: spicy caramelized plantains.

The Base
Jollof is a one-pot dish almost always anchored by rice, but Thiam’s version uses fonio, a fluffy quinoa-like grain he grew up eating in Senegal. He sources his from a women-led farming collective in Kédougou called the Koba Club.

The Condiments
West Africans love to debate which regional style of jollof is best, so Thiam’s sauces cross the map: pico de gallo from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghanaian shito, Nigerian Scotch bonnet paste, and this garlicky Senegalese rof, which pairs perfectly with spiced roast salmon.

The Special Ingredient
Instead of meat, Thiam adds ground fermented locust beans (which are actually seeds!) to the stock he uses to cook the fonio for a funky but vegetarian-friendly punch.