"Diriz Kolé ak Pwa"
​Rice with Pinto Beans

Another common Haitian rice dish is combining rice with beans. This household favorite is with pinto beans. Unlike many of my other posted rice recipe, this particular one is made with parboiled rice instead of the traditional jasmine rice. 

Parboiled rice has it's own distinctive flavor which gives this dish such a unique quality. One main difference with parboiled rice is that it does take longer to cook. Feel free to try this one with jasmine rice as well. I grew up having both variations anyway. Just be sure to use a little less water and Maggie if so. Remember to always sample the liquid to get it to reach your desired level of salt before it's time to steam it! 

Ingredients:

​¾ cup dry Pinto Beans
3 cups Parboiled Rice
2 Maggie Chicken Bouillon Cubes
1 Shallot or Onion
2 tbsps. Tomato Paste
3 – 5 Garlic Cloves
3 – 5 Cloves
½ tsp. Goya Adobo
½ tsp. Seasoned Salt
3 tbsps. Epice
4 tbsps. Vegetable Oil
4 tbsps. Butter
2 sprigs of Thyme
Water
​Salt to taste

Directions:

​1. Sort and wash about ¾ cups of pinto beans. Place in a pot. 
​2. Add 6 cups of water, 2 springs of thyme, 3 – 5 cloves, 1 Maggie, and turn on heat to high. Allow it to come to a roaring boil. ​Once it starts to boil, bring heat down to a medium, place the lid on the pot, and let the beans cook for about an hour.
​3. Dice 1 shallot or an onion and mince about 3 – 5 garlic cloves. Set them aside.
​4. After the beans have boiled for about an hour, strain the beans and reserve the liquid. It’s best to do it in a large measuring cup in order to have an idea of how much liquid remains. Remove the twigs of thyme and cloves, then discard them.
​5. Return the pot to the stove on medium heat. Add 4 tbsps. of vegetable oil, the diced shallot or onion, ½ tsp. of Goya Adobo, ½ tsp. of seasoned salt and 3 tbsps. of epice. Mix the contents together as it begins to sauté. Sauté for about 2 – 3 minutes. A lot of the flavor comes from the herbs and spices in the epice. 
​6. To the pot, add in the strained pinto beans, the minced garlic, and 4 tbsps. of butter (half a stick). Stir until the butter fully melts. Take care not to crush the beans. Return the lid to the pot and let it continue to sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot. If it becomes too dry, you may add a little bit of the reserved liquid at a time. 
​7. After the 5 minutes or so, add in about 2 tbsps. of tomato paste and stir contents to fully incorporate. Again, take care not to crush the beans. Sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little bit of the reserved liquid whenever needed. This process helps to infuse the flavor into the beans. 
​8. Take into account how much of the reserved liquid remains. Pour it into the pot with the beans. Add an additional 5 – 6 cups of water. Including the reserved liquid, you want approximately a total of 7 cups of water for 3 cups of parboiled rice. The ratio is increased compared to Jasmine rice because parboiled rice takes longer to cook. Return heat to high and crush in a second Maggie cube. Stir to help it dissolve in the liquid as you wait for it to come to a boil.
​9. Once the liquid has come to a boil, sample the liquid and add salt to taste if desired. Then, add in 3 cups of parboiled rice. Mix thoroughly to combine all ingredients. Once it returns to a boil, stir every 2 – 3 minutes while waiting for the liquid to reduce. It may take 15 minutes on average (more or less) before the liquid reduces to the level of the rice.  
​10. Once the liquid has reduced to the level of the rice, turn the heat down to just above the lowest setting and return the lid to the pot. Be sure to keep it covered and resist the urge to lift the lid during the cooking process. It’s the steam that cooks the rice. Let it cook for about 30 minutes. 
​11. After about 30 minutes, turn off the heat and fluff with fork. The “diriz kole ak pwa” is ready to be enjoyed. It can be paired with any kind of meat and sauce. 
Serves 4 - 6
What do you think of this recipe? What do you eat your "diriz kole ak pwa" with?
​Let me know and comment below!