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Traditional Rice Dishes

Many of these recipes from various regions were compiled for World Cooking from Traditional African and American Recipes by Mae Kuno. I have adapted them for the recipe section of Ebola & Diet.—Sachi Kato, editor

Rice Tuwo

The soft rice porridge is served all over Africa. It is traditionally served for breakfast, but makes a delicious addition to any meal or dessert. The larger volume of water makes a creamy texture to aid digestion and is very comforting.

1 cup brown rice

5 cups water

pinch of sea salt

Sort and wash the rice and then soak with the measured water for 2 to 5 hours or overnight. Place the rice with the soaking water in a pressure cooker. Bring to a boil, add a pinch of sea salt, cover the lid, and pressure cook for 45 to 50 minuets. Let the pressure come down naturally. The rice should be creamy with lots of liquid above the rice. You can mix gently before serving. The liquid part is easy to consume and digest for those who are extremely weak. It is strengthening and soothing.

Egyptian Koushry

The combination of rice cooked with lentils is a worldwide favorite. This Egyptian recipe complements the region’s dry hot environment. Also it makes a well-balanced dish for physical strength since it combines whole grains and beans. Many sizes and colors of lentils are available in Africa. The yellow variety tends to make a creamier dish when dissolved into a paste with cooked rice.

2 cups brown rice

1/4 cup lentils (red, yellow, green, or other lentil varieties)

pinch of sea salt

parsley or scallion for garnish

Wash the rice and soak with 3 cups of water for 30 minutes. Sort and wash the lentils well and boil them in about an equal or double potion of water for 5 to 10 minutes. Let them cool. Meanwhile place the rice into a pressure cooker, pour over the lightly cooked lentils, and add a pinch sea salt. Close the pressure cooker and put on a medium flame for 50 minutes. Let the pressure come down naturally and mix the lentils and rice gently. Serve with a garnish of chopped parsley or scallion.

West African Jollof Rice

This one-pot rice is made with onions, carrots, and string beans. As a West African favorite, its simple preparation uses a minimum of cooking vessels. Traditionally this is made by boiling slowly over a low flame and is ideal for making rice daily.

2 cups brown rice

3 cups water

1/4 cup onion wedges, separated into moons

1/3 cup sliced carrots

1/4 cup string beans with threaded tips

pinch of sea salt

Wash the rice and then dry roast in a frying pan until lightly golden. Place the rice, water, and vegetables in a pot, bring to a boil, add a pinch of salt, and simmer for one hour. Turn off flame and steam for 10 minutes before serving.

Hoppin’ John

“South Carolina rice farming had begun with seed brought on ships from Madagascar in the 1680’s and 90’s. Slaves from northwest Africa were soon shipped in to work the rice field; they came with ancient expertise in the technology of rice, knowledge which their English masters mostly lacked. Many North American practices in the early years of rice cultivation were similar to those used in Africa. Threshing for instance was done with flails and husking with mortars and pestles.”—Margaret Visser, Much Depends on Dinner

The combination of brown rice, black-eyed peas, onion, and scallions makes this a favorite among children growing up in Africa and America. The whole dish is sweet and satisfies a lunchtime appetite.

2 cups brown rice

1 1/4 cup water per cup of rice

1 cup fresh black-eyed peas or 1/2 cup dried peas

1/4 cup diced onions

1 tablespoon minced scallions

1/4 teaspoon salt per cup of peas

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

Soak the black-eye peas (if dried) overnight with enough water to cover. In the morning, drain the water. If you use fresh peas, add them directly to the rice. Wash the rice and soak 2 to 5 hours with measured water. Put them into a pressure cooker with beans. Bring to a boil, add a pinch of salt, and close the lid. Bring to pressure and cook for 50 minutes. Cook the onions with sea salt in oil over a low flame while pressure-cooking rice. The onion should become completely translucent. Let the pressure come down naturally. Mix the sautéed onions thoroughly with the rice and beans. This beautiful dish will provide a sustaining meal for physical work and play.

Moors and Christians

This combination of dark beans and rice makes for a beautiful contrast. Moors are Moroccan Muslims of mixed Barbar and Arab descent. In southern parts of Africa the same dish is called Waatse (wah-chay). In the Caribbean, this combination is very popular in Cuba and is sometimes called Cuban Beans and Rice, even in the American South. It makes a substantial meal and mainstay for other vegetable dishes. Any dark bean will provide the necessary contrast, although the special combination of black soybeans and rice is worth the effort.

1/2 cup black soybeans

2 cups brown rice

2 1/2 cup water

pinch of sea salt or shoyu (natural soy sauce)

Soak the black soybeans and cover with at least double the volume (or more) of water overnight. Next morning, discard the water and place the beans, rice, and water in a pressure cooker. Over a medium flame, bring to a boil, add a pinch of sea salt, and cover with a lid. When the pressure builds up, cook the rice for 50 minutes on a low flame. Take off from the flame and let the pressure come down naturally. Open the lid, mix gently, and serve.

Corn and Maize

Tom Brown

The dish name, Tom Brown, can refer to any toasted grain porridge, but usually includes corn. The name was coined from Tom Brown’s School Days (a famous novel and movie) because the recipe is so often served at boarding schools. A small amount cooked well in the afternoon can sustain a hearty appetite into the late evening. The corn taste encourages exercise and play, particularly if running or walking is required. The corn tends to pull any excess water from the legs and makes for a light-hearted day of enjoyment.

2 cups cracked corn, lightly roasted

2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Wash the corn until clear water pours off. Cover the corn with water and place in a pressure cooker. Add the sea salt and pressure cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Let the pressure come down and serve with a garnish of slivered nuts or lightly crushed seeds.

Ghana’s Banka

This West African dish is made from cornmeal dumplings. The dough is left to slightly sour, then formed into balls for boiling.

2 cups cornmeal

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Mix the cornmeal and sea salt and add enough water to make a smooth dough. If too much water is added, thicken with additional flour. An overly moist dough will tend to sour prematurely; if the small red spots appear after more than 6 hours, it is best to begin again. Shape the sticky dough into small loaves, about the thickness of two thumbs. The loaves are best steamed as the corn dough does not maintain its shape like wheat when boiled strongly. The small loaves are tasty combined with green leaves or sautéed onions that have been cooked to translucency.

Tobaggo’s Coo Coo

The secret of these steamed cornballs from the Caribbean island of Tobaggo is their time to cook. When the dough is formed, they should be boiled until they rise to the surface of the water.

2 cups cornmeal

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup boiling water

Mix well the cornmeal and sea salt in a mixing bowl. Add the water and mix. Moisten the dough for about 5 minutes and knead with a pulling motion. Shape the dumplings into any pleasing shape that keeps the total thickness to less than 1/2 inch. Drop or spoon into boiling water. When the dumplings begin to rise to the surface, harvest them with a spoon and let thoroughly cool. The dumplings are best served in a clear, salty vegetable soup stock made from the boiling water and either onions, carrots, celery or cabbage. If the dumplings are slow to rise, mix a small amount of sesame oil into the flour prior to dropping in boiling water.

Ghana’s Komi

These West African corn dumplings are made with chestnuts for a sweet satisfying combination. If the chestnuts are dried, they should be soaked in water overnight. The soaking water should be added to mix the corn dough.

11/2 pounds corn dough

1/3 cup chestnuts (soaked in water overnight)

1/3 cup cubed hard squash

Place soaked chestnuts and squash in a pressure cooker and bring to pressure over burner for 10 to 15 minutes. Let the pressure come down, remove the lid, and place the squash and chestnuts into a mixing bowl. Add the chestnut soaking water to the cornmeal and make a stiff dough. Crush the squash and chestnuts together in a separate mixing bowl until mashed. Add the soft mixture to the corn dough and form into small balls using cheesecloth. The cloth can be folded from its corners into a small covering sack and twisted from the top until it tightens. When removed the cornballs should be set aside and either steamed or boiled. This simple dish is a good snack, dessert, or main course.

Other Whole Grains

A variety of native African grains include the smallest grain seeds of brown or white teff from Ethiopia and many rich colors of millets (red, yellow, or white) found in southern countries.

The Ethiopian teff in particular makes a good meal when pressure cooked with chestnuts or walnuts and served with root vegetables such as carrots or lotus root.

Injera/Ethiopian Teff

Either red or white teff can be used for this traditional Ethiopian dish. The local women often make bread out of teff flour as standard loaves. This recipe calls for whole grains that are now readily available in many natural food stores.

2 cups whole teff

2 1/2 cups water

Place the teff and water in a pressure cooker. No salt needs to be added unless chestnuts or walnuts are included in which case a 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt can be added per 1/4 cup of nuts. A few nuts are best, as the teff itself has a distinctive taste. Pressure cook the teff.  Once it’s pressured, simmer for 20 to 30 minutes and let the pressure come down. A small amount of grated radish or other wet vegetable can be added over the top of each serving.

Grain Products

Moroccan Couscous

This popular Moroccan dish is the country’s staple. Couscous is made from semolina wheat and is best known in Magreb dishes of the Muslim quarter. Semolina wheat is a refined and cracked form of whole wheat which is not bleached. Couscous is a pasta so it cooks quickly into a light cake and satisfies summer heat appetites. Courscous is truly the national dish of Morocco.

1 cup couscous

1 cup boiling water

pinch of sea salt

Place the water in a pot, bring to a boil and add sea salt. Place the uncooked couscous into boiling water. Cover, turn off the flame, and let stand for 10 minutes. The couscous will rapidly absorb the water and any taste from the soup stock. Many vegetable varieties can be well combined, including peas, carrots, or parsley or made with a slight vinegar sauce with oil.

North African Bulgur

Bulgur is another cracked wheat like couscous but without refining. It dark rich texture makes it an ideal way to cook whole wheat in a digestible, quick meal. As a fluffy grain, it can be included in salads.

1 cup bulgur

pinch of sea salt

2 1/2 cups boiling water

chopped parsley for garnish

Put the bulgur in a pot and add the boiling water and a pinch of sea salt. Simmer the wheat uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir from time to time to prevent the mixture from sticking to the sides of the pot. Other vegetables can be added such as celery and onions, but a bright green garnish of parsley compliments the dark wheat color.