Diri Kole ak Pwa Rouj
Long-grain rice cooked with red beans, epis and seasoned bean broth so the flavor lives inside every grain.
About this dish
Diri kole ak pwa—rice cooked together with beans—is a foundational Haitian preparation with many household variations. The bean cooking liquid, not plain water, is one of the keys to its flavor. Haitian epis supplies the fresh pepper, herb and garlic backbone.
Some versions include coconut milk; others do not. This recipe leaves it optional and keeps the Scotch bonnet whole so it perfumes the pot without automatically making the rice extremely hot.
Rice, beans and the African Atlantic
Haitian rice-and-beans dishes sit within a much larger African Atlantic story. Food historians have traced deep West African rice-growing knowledge across the Caribbean and the Americas, where rice became central to diasporic cuisines under profoundly different historical circumstances.
Bon Appétit's Haitian recipe from chef Gregory Gourdet highlights epis as a defining seasoning layer rather than a generic “sofrito” substitute. That fresh seasoning base is used across Haitian meats, stews and rice dishes.
Bean variety, coconut milk, spices and rice texture differ from household to household. This is a practical red-bean version.
Preparation notes
If cooking dried beans, the flavorful liquid is an ingredient. Do not drain it down the sink.
Removing loose starch helps the grains cook separately instead of becoming gluey.
A whole Scotch bonnet gives aroma and controlled heat. Remove it if it begins to split.
Ingredients & detailed method
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried red kidney beans, soaked, or 2 cans drained
- 2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and well drained
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 tbsp Haitian epis
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 whole Scotch bonnet chile
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, optional
- 3 cups reserved bean broth plus water as needed
- 1 tbsp butter
- Kosher salt
Method
- 1.Cook the beans if using dried. Simmer soaked beans until fully tender, then reserve at least 3 cups of their cooking liquid.
- 2.Start the seasoning. Heat oil and cook epis 2–3 minutes. Checkpoint: it should smell fragrant and lose its raw garlic edge without browning hard.
- 3.Add beans and whole spices. Stir in beans, thyme and cloves gently so the beans stay intact.
- 4.Build the cooking liquid. Add coconut milk if using plus bean broth/water to make roughly 4 cups total liquid. Season it assertively with salt.
- 5.Bring to a strong simmer. Taste the liquid before rice goes in; it should be more seasoned than you want the finished rice because the grains will absorb it.
- 6.Add rice and chile. Stir in the drained rice and nestle the whole Scotch bonnet on top.
- 7.Reduce the liquid uncovered. Cook over medium heat until liquid drops to roughly the level of the rice. Checkpoint: small steam holes should begin appearing across the surface.
- 8.Steam. Cover tightly, reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook 20–25 minutes without stirring.
- 9.Check the grains. Checkpoint: rice should be tender and separate with no wet liquid at the bottom. If still firm, sprinkle in a few tablespoons hot water and cover 5 minutes more.
- 10.Rest. Turn off heat and leave covered 10 minutes. Remove the chile, thyme stems and any cloves you can find.
- 11.Fluff. Fold in butter gently and fluff with a fork, taking care not to crush the beans.