Food truck fave opens new restaurant, with secret spice mix to end Sydney’s ‘Jollof Wars’

Ring the bells. Wave the flags. Go out and hug a stranger. 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.

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.

Almost every country has its own 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. 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. Each has its own spice mix and cooking method.

At Jollof Junction, Koroma has created a version that borrows from all the main styles. “Our aim is to put an end to the Jollof Wars,” he says. “It’s called Jollof Junction because this is the junction where all the spices meet.”

Koroma arrived in Australia in 2005, seeking refuge from the aftermath of civil war in Sierra Leone. Good jollof was hard to find in Sydney back then, he says, and not many people were cooking it with passion or love.

“You need to pour your whole heart in it,” says Koroma.

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. 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.

This month, the family opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant in 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.

Then there’s the jollof itself. The exact spice blend is a closely guarded secret, though onion, garlic, ginger and paprika form the 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.

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. “We’ve had Sierra Leoneans, Ghanaians, and Nigerians come and try our jollof, and they’ve all loved it,” says Koroma. “They’ve not been able to tell the difference, and that’s what we want.”

Jollof is rarely eaten alone, and here it comes with a choice of sides. Start with the chicken wings, thickly crusted in a blend of eight African spices, and brushed with brown sugar and butter for a glossy, caramelised sheen. They’re so deliciously moreish I could eat them by the 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. It’s sliced thin and grilled, with a smoky crust and firm, jerky-like chew.

Beans and plantains is another must-order. The black-eyed beans, soft and creamy, are topped with plantains, deep-fried when slightly over-ripe so they turn toffee-sweet.

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. Here, it’s loaded with lamb neck, chicken wings and tripe and served with fufu, a playdough-soft ball of pounded cassava 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.

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. There are more drinks too, including bissap, a hibiscus iced tea, and West African softies, like Vimto, and cans of malt drink.

But don’t get sidetracked. This is all about the jollof. Rich, smoky and deeply satisfying, it’s hard to imagine a better version of this dish.

Jollof Junction
1/18 McFarlane Street, Merrylands
instagram.com/jollof_junction_
Open: Wed-Fri 11am – 2pm, 5pm – 9:30pm; Sat 2pm – 9:30pm; Sun 2pm-8pm
Prices: Starters $10-$20, mains $25-$40

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