Haitian · side

Diri ak Djon Djon (Black Mushroom Rice)

Diri ak Djon Djon (Black Mushroom Rice) reads richness 5.3, allium 4.8 and umami 3.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Haitian side, about 1 hr 26 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 4.1 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 2.1 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 0.4 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.7 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.5 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 5.7 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 5.3 · Allium 4.8 · Umami 3.7 · Salinity 3.6 · Heat 3.4 · Warm Spice 2.9 · Herbaceous 2.9 · Earthy 2.6 · Floral 2.2 · Fruity 1.7 · Sweetness 1.3 · Bitterness 1.2

What's in it (14)

• dried djon djon mushroom caps — 25 g
• water — 750 g
• oil — 55 g
• onion — 150 g
• garlic — 24 g
• epis — 45 g
• lima beans — 100 g
• fresh thyme — 6 g
• cloves — 1 g
• scotch bonnet chillies — 5 g
• long-grain white rice — 400 g
• unsalted butter — 30 g
• salt — 10 g
• freshly ground black pepper — 5 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 26 min (46 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 133.6 kcal, 2.4 g protein, 5.3 g fat, 22.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Djon djon is a small dried black mushroom that grows in northern Haiti and nowhere else in commercial quantity. It has no substitute — not porcini, not shiitake, not black fungus, none of which produce the ink-black liquor or the particular earthy, almost smoky perfume this dish is entirely built around. Buy it from a Haitian grocer or an online Haitian food shop. It is expensive by the gram and a little goes a long way, which is why this is a dish for Sundays and celebrations.
2. Pour the boiling water over the mushroom caps and leave them 30 minutes. The water turns deep black-grey; that liquid, not the mushrooms, is the dish.
3. Strain the liquor through a fine sieve or a coffee filter and hold it. Grit hides in dried djon djon and it is worth the extra minute. The soaked caps are traditionally discarded — they have given everything up — though some cooks chop and return them.
4. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and cook the onion, garlic and epis for about 6 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
5. Add the lima beans, thyme, cloves and the whole unbroken scotch bonnet, with a ladle of the mushroom liquor, and simmer 10 minutes.
6. Stir in the rice and turn it through the pot for 2 minutes so every grain is coated and greyed.
7. Pour in the rest of the mushroom liquor — you want about 750 ml of liquid to 400 g of rice — add the salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat 25 minutes.
8. Rest, covered and off the heat, for 10 minutes. Fork the butter through and remove the pepper whole. The rice should be a uniform slate black-grey; if it is brown, the liquor was too weak.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Stuffed Mirlitons — Cajun/Creole
• Butter Chicken Meatballs — Indian
• Peas and Paneer Curry (Matar Paneer) — Indian
• Palak Paneer with Garlic Naan — Indian
• Skillet Chicken Curry with Peppers — Indian

Keep reading: what richness, allium, umami mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.