Wednesday, November 07, 2012

haitian rice & beans ~ diri ak pwa



INGREDIENTS:
Dry red beans
1 - 12 to 15 ounce can coconut milk
(Geronne uses FRESH coconut shredded then wrings out the juice by hand)
Parsley bunch
2 garlic clove
1 green onion stalk (using only bottom 4 inches of the white root)
Oil - (use more than suggested below for moister rice)
1 cube of chicken or veggie bouillon  (in Haiti they use more than 1 cube)
2.5 cups white rice
salt




(Depending on what bean you choose you might need to presoak your beans or add to the cooking time. **Read comments on this post - most people are finding more water/liquid is needed and more time to cook beans.)

Take a bundle of curly parsley and tie it together with a string so that the bunch is tied together.  this will enventually go into the pot of water for flavor.

Boil 4 cups of water in a large medium size soup pot
After boiling, add 1 very heaping cup of washed uncooked red beans
Continue boiling for 45+ minutes (until all beans are almost soft)

When beans are almost tender 1 can of coconut milk
And bundle of tied parsley
Finish boiling until tender

Strain the beans, but make sure to keep both the water/cocunut mixture as well as beans

in a mortar & pestal, crush garlic & green onion (bottom 4inches of green onion stalk with root removed)

In the original pot (which should now be empty of beans and water/cocunut mixture), bring heat back up to Medium High.
Add 2 or 3 tbs of oil.  When hot, add the garlic/onion mixture
Cool until browned.
Add beans & parsley bunch back to pot. Stir once.
Add water/cocunut mixture to pot.

Add 1 ts salt and bouillon cube.

Turn to high heat, cover, and bring to a boil.
When boils take lid off.
Only stir once. Then continue boiling while adding 2.5 cups of rice.

Keep stirring while heating up. 
Take out parsley.
Keep boiling on high so water boils down

After 15 minutes, move rice around a bit to take water to the bottom of pan, around the rice.

When most water seems gone, stir again, put on lid, and turn heat to Low.
Leave untouched 20 minutes

Done.

This recipe brought to you compliments of Geronne A., the maker of the very best batch of rice and beans available on this beautiful island - and possibly in the whole world.

See comments on this post for feedback from those that have tried it.
Geronne & Isaac