AI-generated image
Diri kole ak pwa
Rice and red beans
Haiti's everyday 'rice stuck with beans': red beans cooked first, their dark liquid used to cook the rice with epis and clove
Diri kole ak pwa, rice 'stuck together' with beans, is the plate Haitians call their national dish, cooked in homes from Jacmel to Gonaïves and served most days of the week. Unlike rice and peas from elsewhere in the Caribbean, there's usually no coconut milk: red beans are simmered first, then their dark, savoury cooking liquid goes into the rice with fried epis, thyme and cloves, so the grains turn a rich reddish-brown and taste of beans all the way through. A whole scotch bonnet adds fruity heat without fire. Chef's tip: fry the drained beans in the epis until their skins blister and catch slightly; that browning gives the rice its deep, almost smoky taste.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 7 oz dried red kidney beanssoaked overnight, or 2 × 400 g tins
- 1.5 litres waterfor cooking the beans
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 14 oz long-grain ricerinsed
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 scotch bonnet pepperwhole
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain soaked 7 oz dried red kidney beans, cover with 1.5 litres water and boil hard for 10 minutes, then simmer for 50–60 minutes over a medium-low heat until tender but whole. Drain and keep the dark cooking liquid; you need 800 ml. If using tinned beans, drain them and use 800 ml water mixed with 2 tbsp of the tin liquid instead.
60 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pot over a medium-high heat. Add the drained beans, 3 tbsp epis (Haitian seasoning base) and 2 cloves garlic and fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until the bean skins blister and a few catch and brown.
5 minStep 3: Add 4 whole cloves, 3 sprigs fresh thyme and 14 oz long-grain rice and stir for 2 minutes, until the rice is glossy and well mixed with the beans.
2 minStep 4: Pour in the bean liquid, add 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper and bring to the boil. Lay 1 scotch bonnet pepper on top. Boil uncovered until the liquid sinks into the rice and the surface looks pitted, 7–8 minutes.
8 minStep 5: Cover tightly and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, until the rice is tender and dry. A common mistake is adding too much liquid: diri kole should be separate and fluffy, not soft and sticky. Use exactly twice the volume of liquid to rice.
20 minStep 6: Turn off the heat and rest for 5 minutes. Remove the pepper, thyme and cloves, fluff and serve with legim, pikliz and fried plantain.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does diri kole ak pwa take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of whole cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Indian
Khao kluk kapiShrimp paste rice
Everything on this central Thai plate is arranged in little heaps around a mound of rice tossed with garlic and fermented shrimp paste: sticky caramelised pork (moo wan), threads of sour green mango, shallots, chillies, sliced long beans, crisp dried shrimp and ribbons of thin omelette. You mix a bit of each into every spoonful, so salty, sweet, sour and hot arrive together. It's a favourite at Bangkok's curry-and-rice shops and a clever way to use up yesterday's rice at home; lime wedges and cucumber cool it down. Chef's tip: use day-old jasmine rice straight from the fridge, because freshly cooked rice clumps and smears the shrimp paste instead of coating each grain.
Thai
Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani
Hyderabad's biryani grew up in the kitchens of the Nizams, and the kacchi style is its proudest form: the chicken goes into the pot raw, in a thick yogurt, mint and fried-onion marinade, and cooks only in the steam trapped under part-cooked basmati. In the old city it is wedding and Eid food, ordered in huge copper deghs, and at home it's the Sunday showpiece, served with mirchi ka salan and a cooling raita. Because the meat cooks without being stirred, small bone-in thigh and drumstick pieces work best. Chef's tip: marinate overnight in the fridge — the yogurt tenderises the chicken and the flavours go right to the bone.