Haiti: Du Ri ak Pwa Colé

Joses-Philippe Obas                                                               

Du Ri ak Pwa Colé: Haiti

(Rice with red beans)

This dish is the national meal of Haiti. It is found at almost every special occasion such as parties, baby showers, Christmas, Thanksgiving and many others.  As for almost all Haitian meals, it can be ingested with any kind of meat (fish, chicken, pork and beef) and most of the time with a mix of a lot of different vegetables. It is sold in pretty much all the Haitian restaurants you can find in Montreal but the taste can vary from one to another for there is no specific recipe for this dish. It was hard to put an amount on things since most of the time the ones that cook the rice go by eye and by taste. It has a certain importance to me since I grew up eating this food so it means a lot to me. I wouldn’t be able to live without it for too long. In my opinion, it is the national meal of my country largely due to the fact that it grows a lot in that region. A Haitian meal is rarely complete without a plate of rice of any kind coming with it. Also, due to the economic status of this country, cooking it is not very complicated. Basically, what you need is water, salt and rice along with a saucepan and fire which are relatively affordable over there. It’s also a good source of cereal which is excellent for your health so no compromise has to be done there; it’s good for you, good for your money and good to your mouth! Perfect combination.

THE RECIPE

·         Ingredients (serving 6 people)

§  Kidney beans (2 cups
)

§  Parboiled rice (6 cups)

§  Vegetable oil  (3 teaspoons)

§  Mixed spices

o   Garlic ( 2 cloves)

o   Parsley ( a little bit)

o   Cloves ( 6 )

§  Green onions

§  Maggie cube

§  Hot pepper ( 1 )

§  Water (4L)

§  Salt (2-3 teaspoons)

§  Butter or Margarine ( 1 tablespoon)

All of these are sold in supermarkets everywhere.

·         Procedure

1.      Boil the dry red beans in a large saucepan in 4L of water until the beans are slightly cut in 2 (slightly soft)

2.      Take saucepan out of the oven and drain the beans but keep the water in another bowl

3.      In another saucepan, fry the cut green onions in hot vegetable oil until they become slightly brown. Then add the red beans and incorporate the salt, cloves, garlic and parsley (freshly cut)

4.      Add in a little bit of red bean water and let it mix for approximately 3 minutes then add the rest of water. Let boil.

5.      Clean the rice by spreading it with one hand and adding water with the other

6.      Pour rice gradually in the boiling water at the center of the saucepan to have a little mountain

7.      Stir the rice while mixing it with the beans and place the hot pepper at the middle of the saucepan

8.      Cover the saucepan and lower the oven heat to moderate-low (3-4) until all the water evaporates

9.      Stir  again and add a little bit more of oil and a little bit of butter or margarine and decrease the heat on the stove (1-2)

Source

http://www.kreyolexotic.fr/plats__buffets__dessserts_172.htm