Djon Djon
The black mushroomsdo not stay black throughout the cooking process. As you boil the mushrooms,you’ll notice the black will fade a bit and turn gray. By that point, you willsmell a satisfying aroma from the mushrooms. The flavor of the mushrooms willbe even more satisfying when their juices are in your mouth.Djon djon is the Haitian name for black mushroom. Thisparticular dish is black mushroom rice, with the two base ingredients obviouslybeing black mushrooms and rice. The black mushrooms used in the recipe come fromthe northern region of Haiti. They are native to the land, which makes themeven more special to the people there. Haitians usually eat djon djon on special occasions andevents. It is not a meal that is eaten every week or every day. Since the recipeinvolves a lot of rich ingredients, the average Haitian could not afford tohave djon djon all the time. That is why whenever Haitians have the opportunityto eat it, they feel happy and honored.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups of Dried Black Mushrooms (djon djon)
- 3 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 2 tbsp of Olive Oil
- 1 Small Onion (chopped)
- 2 Cups of Long Grain Rice
- 2 tsp of Salt
- 1 tsp of Ground Cloves
- 1 (12 oz.) Can Lima Beans (or green peas)
- 1-2 Thyme Sprigs
- 1 Green Scotch Bonnet Pepper
Instructions
- Grab a small cooking pot. Add four cups of water to the pot. Put thedried black mushrooms into the water of the pot. Let them soak thoroughly for10 minutes.
- Turn on the burner of the stove. Set the temperature to low heat andwait for the mushrooms to boil. Let them continue to boil for about 10 minutes.
- Place a strainer in a separate container. Pour the mushroom water intothe container, so that the strainer catches the mushrooms. You won’t need themushrooms anymore after that. The whole point is to capture the mushroom water.You will need that in the later steps.
- Grab a large cooking pot. Place onions and garlic gloves into the pot.Turn on the burner and set it to medium heat. Sauté the ingredients for twominutes.
- Now you can pour the long grain rice into this pot of sautéed onions andgarlic. Mix it all around together and let it cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Grab the container of mushroom water and pour it into the cooking pot.Add the lima beans and salt in there too. Mix everything together.
- Turn up the temperature to boil the mushroom water. Once you see thewater has mostly evaporated, then you can reduce the heat. The process shouldtake between 10 and 15 minutes.
- Add the thyme and green scotch bonnet pepper to the pot. Put the lid onthe pot and let everything steam for 15 minutes.
- If you want to add meat to the dish, then you can cook that separatelyin a frying pan or cooking pot. Haitians like to have fish, pork or beef withtheir djon djon. Choose whichever one you would like. Of course, if you’re avegan or vegetarian, then you can skip the meat altogether.
- Turn off the heat and serve the food to your party.
Video
Notes
You might want to wait and smell the aroma of the djon djon before you eat the meal. The aroma alone is satisfying enough and will make you feel relaxed and happy. Your entire household will seem like a Haitian restaurant.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
