An engineer, Olalecks Tech, has shown how he built the giant pot used by celebrity chef Hilda Baci for her Guinness World Record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice in Lagos.
Through a series of TikTok videos posted on August 24, 2025, Olalecks documented the entire process—from design to construction. He showed how the pot was shaped, smoothed, and tested using six industrial gas burners to power the six-metre vessel. The videos also captured the transfer of the custom-made pot to the event venue, Eko Hotels and Suites.
The pot, designed to hold 22,619 litres, was intended to be filled to 80% capacity. During the record attempt, 200 bags of rice were used, producing 4,000 kilogrammes due to weighing limits. Baci said this amount was enough to feed about 20,000 people.
“When we started, we weighed the pot and had to weigh every ingredient we added,” she said. “The goal was that by the time we were done, we hoped to reach about 17,000 to 18,000 kilogrammes.”
The event had a tense moment when the giant pot collapsed while being hoisted for weighing, but no one was hurt.
The Guinness World Record for the largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice was officially confirmed on Monday via X (formerly Twitter). The record-setting dish weighed 8,780 kilogrammes (19,356 lb 9 oz) and was created in partnership with food brand Gino.
Baci, who gained international attention with her 2023 cook-a-thon, has once again put Nigerian cuisine on the global stage.
