Riz Gras Burkina

About This Recipe

Riz gras — literally 'fat rice' — is Burkina Faso's answer to the festive one-pot. Lamb or goat pieces are browned, then rice is cooked in the resulting stock along with tomatoes, onion, and a generous hand of spices. The finished dish is deeply savoury and lightly oily, eaten family-style from a communal bowl.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 600 gbone-in lamb shoulder, cut into chunks
• 2 cupslong-grain rice, rinsed
• 3 mediumtomatoes, blended
• 1 largeonion, chopped
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 tspeach: cumin, coriander, salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the lamb

   Heat oil in a large pot. Season lamb with salt, cumin, and coriander. Brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove and set aside.

2. 2

   Build the base

   In the same pot fry onion until golden. Add blended tomatoes and cook 10 minutes until the sauce darkens and oil floats to the surface.

3. 3

   Simmer the lamb

   Return lamb to the pot. Add 4 cups water. Cover and simmer 25 minutes until lamb is tender.

4. 4

   Cook the rice

   Remove lamb. Add rinsed rice to the broth. Ensure liquid is 1 cm above rice. Cover and cook on low 18 minutes. Return lamb pieces on top, rest 5 minutes before serving.

Variations

• •

  Substitute chicken thighs for lamb.

• •

  Add cubed carrot and cabbage for a more vegetable-forward version.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water.

Frequently Asked Questions