When you go to a Haitian party, you are most likely going to see two different types of rice. One option is plain brown rice, and the other the one, which I am going to talk about, is ‘“diri djon djon,” or mushroom rice.

Diri djon djon is rice that you make with black dried mushrooms. It is mostly cooked for special occasions and on Sundays. Without further ado, here’s the recipe for diri djon djon. Good luck!

Rice Ingredients:

2 cups of preferred rice type, rinsed

Oil

1 cup black beans

1 cup black dried mushrooms

Epis (Haitian seasoning base)

½ tbsp salt  

2 cups water

Black pepper

Epis Ingredients:

1 medium onion

Half of 1 bell pepper (green and red)

3 cloves garlic

1 bunch of scallions

A few leaves of parsley

Pepper

Directions:

Blend all epis ingredients into a paste and set aside.

Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil on high heat, then add the 1 cup of black mushrooms, chopped. Let the mushrooms cook for 20-30 minutes. After, drain the mushrooms and put the liquid aside.

Put a pot on the stove on medium to high heat. Add oil and let it cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the blended epis, salt, and black pepper. Let it fry for 2-3 minutes.

After, add the mushroom water to the pot. Let it simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes. When it’s done, add the rice. Let it simmer again for an additional 30-40 minutes. The rice should look black and have a normal rice texture.

Then, serve and enjoy!!!

This piece also appears in our January 2019 print edition.