While some Americans are increasingly moving away from white rice toward wild and other variants, many dishes of the African Atlantic world still hark back to the traditional fluffy white grains. In Brazil leftover white rice is famously fried and served as rice balls or fritters, like Erminia Apolinarioโs golden Bolinho de Arroz. West African cooks like Pierre Thiam often add broth, meat, and vegetables to their leftover rice, cooking it down into creamy Senegalese Mbahal.
Across the Caribbean, bean-and-rice dishes like Gregory Gourdetโs version of the Haitian classic Diri Kole ak Pwa are highly revered, and in the American South, rice turns up in memorable chicken-rich soups and stews. Lucky for us, Gullah chef Matthew Raiford has shared his renowned Nanaโs Chicken and Rice Stew. These chefs are all experts in the rice-cooking traditions of their respective communities, and these flavorful recipes celebrate the prominence, history, and enduring versatility of a staple we all know and love.
Dr. Jessica B. Harris, Ph.D., is an acclaimed culinary historian and author of several books including โHigh on the Hog,โ now a Netflix series.
โBrazilians, we eat rice and beans every day. Itโs a food that feeds the masses. I was raised on bolinho de arroz. When my Tia Zita would visit from Rio, sheโd say, โErminia, I made you a surprise rice ball. What do you think I put inside?โ I loved to play that game with her. Itโs a very popular snack because you can put whatever you have in your kitchen inside; it can be cheese, sausage, chicken, or fish. Itโs also a bar foodโas a tropical country, we drink a lot of beer!โ โErminia Apolinario, chef and caterer
Bolinho de Arroz With Molho Verde
These crunchy, cheesy fried rice balls are the perfect snack for any time of day, and they come together in less than half an hour.
โSenegal definitely breaks some records when it comes to rice. If thereโs no rice on a given day, itโs like you havenโt eaten. Mbahal is a dish that oftentimes comes in between meals. Rice thatโs already cooked is turned into a porridge by adding broth. Mbahal means โto boilโ in Wolof, so itโs a boil, really. The rice is boiled, the meat is boiled, whatever vegetables you haveโanything can go into mbahal. Itโs the dish that every single household has a recipe for.โ โPierre Thiam, chef-cofounder, Yolรฉlรฉ
Mbahal
This creamy Senegalese rice and lamb dish combines peanuts, okra, and black-eyed peas to build beautiful West African flavors in a comforting one-pot meal.
โIn the Haitian community we joke that a meal isnโt complete without rice. There are so many different rice dishes in Haiti, and diri kole ak pwa is probably the most popular. Itโs a dish that doesnโt see classโif youโre struggling financially, diri kole is something you can get on the table for your family, and even if youโre among the wealthy, itโs still on your table. Rice with beans has so many variations throughout the Caribbean, but the epis (green seasoning) creates this uniquely Haitian flavor profile, and a few tablespoons in your rice give it that distinction.โ โGregory Gourdet, chef-owner, Kann
Diri Kole ak Pwa
Epis, the punchy, peppery Haitian seasoning, gives this iconic dish its complex flavor profile.
โI grew up eating rice with just about every meal possible. Someone said to me once, โMan, yโall so Geechee, yโall eat rice all the time!โ But Gullah Geechee food culture isnโt a monolithโpeople adapted to the areas they were in with the produce and foods that were available. If you had a large family, a stew could last for two or three days with one chicken, vegetables, and rice. When my nana would do it, it was really about stretching the meal for all of us, and doing the most with the food until it cannot be done anymore.โ โMatthew Raiford, chef and author, Bress โnโ Nyam
Nanaโs Chicken and Rice Stew
A hearty blend of chicken, rice, fresh herbs, and a grandmotherโs love.
