Diri kole ak pwa
Haitian rice and red beans cooked together in the bean liquid with coconut milk, thyme, cloves and a whole scotch bonnet.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 40 min
- Rest
- 8 hr
- Total
- 9 hr 50 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Diri kole ak pwa, rice stuck together with beans, is the daily rice of Haiti. Dried red kidney beans are cooked until tender, then their dark cooking liquid becomes the water for the rice, so the grains turn a deep reddish brown. Garlic, spring onion, thyme, a few cloves and a whole scotch bonnet season the pot, and a splash of coconut milk is common in the north and increasingly everywhere. The rice is cooked by absorption with a tight lid and comes out separate-grained, savoury and faintly sweet from the coconut. It is the base under griot, under stewed chicken, under fried fish and sauce, and on its own with avocado.
What you'll need
14 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Kidney beans, dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight250 g
- Water, for the beans1½ l
- Rice, long grain, rinsed450 g
- Coconut milk (optional)200 ml
- Neutral oil44 ml
- Garlic, crushed4 clove
- Spring onion, chopped4
- Onion, finely chopped½ medium
- Thyme4 sprig
- Parsley, chopped (optional)1 handful
- Scotch bonnet, whole, stem on1
- Salt, to taste9.9 ml
- Black pepper2½ ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Drain the soaked beans, cover with the fresh water and simmer, lid ajar, for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 until tender but intact. Do not salt yet. Drain, keeping every drop of the dark liquid.
75 min
Watch: Dried kidney beans must be boiled hard for the first 10 minutes to destroy a natural toxin. Then lower to a simmer.
Step 2
Measure the bean liquid and top up with water, or with coconut milk and water, to 800 ml.
2 min
Step 3
Heat the oil in a heavy pot and cook the garlic, spring onion, onion and cloves 3 minutes until fragrant. Add the beans and stir 2 minutes so they take on the oil.
5 min
Step 4
Add the rice, the 800 ml liquid, thyme, salt, pepper and the whole scotch bonnet. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered until the liquid drops to the level of the rice, about 8 minutes.
10 min
Step 5
Stir once from the bottom, cover tightly, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook 20 minutes. Rest 10 minutes off the heat. Remove the pepper and thyme stalks, fluff, and scatter with parsley.
30 min
Tip: If the rice is still firm after 20 minutes, sprinkle on 50 ml of hot water, cover and give it 5 more.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 304 kcal
- Protein
- 8.2 g
- Carbs
- 36.8 g
- Fat
- 14.1 g
- Saturated fat
- 7.1 g
- Fibre
- 5.1 g
- Sugar
- 2.8 g
- Sodium
- 1157 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- No major allergens flagged in the structured ingredients.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Kidney beans → Black beans or pigeon peas
Both are Haitian variants. Pigeon peas need less cooking.
Tips
- Tinned beans work in a hurry: use two tins with their liquid plus water to make 800 ml. The colour will be paler.
- The crust on the bottom, gratin, is scraped up and served to whoever asks first.
- The same method with black beans is diri ak pwa nwa, and with pigeon peas diri ak pwa kongo.
History & culture
Diri kole is eaten most days in Haitian homes, at lunchtime, which is the main meal. Sunday means diri kole with griot or poul an sòs. Haitians are particular about the texture: the grains should be separate, never mushy, and the colour should come from the beans. Restaurants and street kitchens sell it by the plate with a ladle of sauce.
Rice and beans cooked in one pot is pan-Caribbean, with West African roots in dishes like waakye. In Haiti, rice became a staple in the 20th century as imports replaced millet and corn in many regions. The specific Haitian seasoning, with cloves and a whole pepper, marks it off from Jamaican rice and peas and Cuban congrí.
Traditional — Coconut milk is regional and optional; a version with only the bean liquid is equally traditional. Many home cooks add a bouillon cube. Salt does the job here.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Diri kole ak pwa take?
9 hr 50 min all in — 10 min prep, 1 hr 40 min cook, 8 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
6 more questionsFewer questions
What equipment do I need?
Dutch oven, Saucepan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp (to taste).
What can I use instead?
Kidney beans → Black beans or pigeon peas. Both are Haitian variants. Pigeon peas need less cooking.
What should I watch for?
Dried kidney beans must be boiled hard for the first 10 minutes to destroy a natural toxin. Then lower to a simmer.
Any tips from this recipe?
Tinned beans work in a hurry: use two tins with their liquid plus water to make 800 ml. The colour will be paler. The crust on the bottom, gratin, is scraped up and served to whoever asks first. The same method with black beans is diri ak pwa nwa, and with pigeon peas diri ak pwa kongo.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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