It just makes you wanna get up and dance.

Hi, my name's Tei, and today I'm gonna be making

my family's recipe for Ghanaian jollof rice.

Jollof rice is a West African dish

where the rice is cooked in a tomato-based stew.

Growing up as a Ghanaian in London,

no matter what party I went to,

there was always jollof rice whether it was a wedding,

a christening, or even someone's 16th birthday party.

A Ghanaian party without jollof rice

is like a wedding without the cake.

Although they look small,

these peppers pack a serious punch.

So, if heat's not for you, be careful how much you use.

I remember one day when visiting Ghana,

I went to an aunt's house and she cooked jollof rice.

I don't know how much pepper she put in it,

but my whole face went red, I was sweating.

Usually, the jollof rice will be cooked by aunts,

even grandparents, where they'll cook it in big pots

that usually need to be carried

by about two people into the venue.

There'll be music playing in the background,

the kids will be running around, laughing, giggling.

Every family gathering will get lively.

People will be drinking, eating, and dancing

and just laughing the whole night through.

Some countries just put anything in the blender

and cook it at once.

My mom cooks it in part,

and a big difference is that she also adds vegetables.

If I know you and you haven't eaten jollof rice

with my family, we're probably not friends.

Growing up in the UK, food played a vital role

in bringing the family together

and just reminding us about our culture.

No matter where you're from in West Africa,

jollof rice is just something

that you can always expect at a party,

and when you're clearing up,

you can always expect to find grains on the dance floor.

Mom would be proud.

Hi, my name is Kiano,

and today I'll be making Kenyan Pilau.

Pilau is one of those dishes that really shows

the diversity in Kenya within our food.

For Maasai people, we don't use a lot of spices

as maybe people on the coastal part of Kenya,

but I love playing around with spices,

so I add just a little bit

to make it a little bit more exciting.

So, when developing my own recipe for pilau,

I really just channeled in all the best pilau I've ever had.

Now, the best pilaus I've ever had

always always always have meat and potato.

I don't know what it is about that double starch thing,

but when I have pilau without potato, it just feels wrong.

I think the thing I love about Kenyan parties

is that it's always about food.

Our parties aren't one of those where you turn up

and then food is ready then you eat.

That'd be a very short party if you just turned up to eat

because then what would you do?

All of the parties that I've been to,

the cooking is happening during the party.

It's almost like the cooking is the party itself.

People are out back, they're grilling, they're barbecuing,

they're hanging out around what's being cooked to socialize,

and honestly, I think the best parties revolve around food.

Mm.

Alright, now it's time to party.

- Hi, my name's Amal, and today I'll be making

my family's recipe for Somali Bariis.

Bariis is a dish which literally translates into rice.

It has a lot of ways that it's made.

Typically, it consists of rice, a bunch of spices,

and some type of meat on top.

Bariis is made by a lot of people in my family.

Every time I have it, it's a little different

depending on who makes it.

It's one of those dishes that is hard to get wrong,

so if you do get it wrong, you probably aren't a good cook.

No shade.

The spice blend that's typically used

for Somali Bariis dishes is called Xawaash,

which literally translates into spices.

Bariis can be served at a variety of parties.

I think one of the most important parties

that it's served at is weddings.

So, you're at a Somali wedding,

typically a lot later than you bargained for,

the bride or groom is not there, it's like 11:00 p.m.

but some nice, amazing person

has decided to get the food out early.

You're ecstatic, and what's the first thing they bring out?

The bariis.

I don't think I've ever been to a Somali wedding

without Bariis, maybe the bougie ones.

The raisins are my favorite part.

It's always a topping that really completes the dish.

The food coloring on the fries isn't a mandatory step,

but it just makes the fries look more fun,

and everyone wants to have fun when they eat bariis.

I did not make the connection that these

were also French fries for a really long time.

I was like these are just fun potatoes

we eat on top of our bariis.

Community is a huge part of the Somali culture,

and this dish is reminiscent of that.

My mom and my aunt helped me learn this dish.

That's another reason why the bond of family

is so important, especially through food.

The end all be all in the Somali dish is the banana.

You can't have bariis without banana,

and I don't care who tells you otherwise,

it's what makes it the most special.

Tastes like home.

- Hi, I'm Kiki Canuto, and today I'm showing you

how to make my family's Cape Verdean Arroz de Marisco.

Traditionally, we use calamari or octopus.

We put in a lot of shrimp and mussels as well

to have right on top.

Those are kind of the three staple ingredients

that we have in this type of rice.

So, you can find this dish

at just about any Cape Verdean party.

We love having some sort of rice dish present.

We actually have multiple dishes of rice there.

Cape Verde is definitely a party country,

and I think a lot of West African cultures

celebrate food really really big and really really loud.

Cape Verde is no exception to that.

It's a country that thrives off of its music, its food,

and its hospitality, which I think is very similar

to a lot of West African countries.

At any Cape Verdean party,

you can find a whole bunch of your cousins,

cousins you haven't even known about.

So, you'll meet your cousins for the first time there,

you'll meet your aunts, uncles, grandparents.

Usually, you'll just be walking around to tables

and greeting everyone, saying hi,

giving them kisses on the cheeks.

So, your rice is going to be a little bit

more sticky than you'd think.

At the end of the dish, we add a little bit of the broth

that we make with the seafood mixture.

Once everyone's eaten,

which is obviously the most important part of the party,

everyone will be on the dance floor.

So, you'll be dancing with your grandma,

your grandpa, anyone.

It's really really loud,

the energy is super upbeat and vibrant,

and it just makes you wanna get up and dance.