Burkina Faso | Main dish

Benga

Burkinabe rice and beans plate, simple, nourishing, and usually finished with tomato-onion sauce or chili oil.

Country
Burkina Faso
Region
West Africa
Time
95 min
Serves
6
Level
easy
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01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

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02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Burkina Faso
4 steps 20 min prep 75 min cook (check method) 95 min total easy
1
Cook beans
Simmer soaked beans in water until tender.
bean simmer 45:00
2
Add rice
Add rinsed rice and enough hot water to cover. Cook until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
rice cook 22:00
3
Make sauce
Cook onions in oil, add tomatoes, tomato paste, pepper, and salt, then simmer into a spoonable sauce.
tomato sauce 18:00
4
Plate
Serve rice and beans with the sauce spooned over the top.
serve 02:00

Some households cook rice and beans together, while others serve tender beans over rice with sauce.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas
Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for everyday lunch, school-night cooking, and market plates.. Plan on a easy cook. Allow about 95 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Tomato sauce, chili oil, fried onions, or grilled chicken.

Regional lane

Burkina Faso national table. A structured Burkina Faso dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs
  • Adding too much liquid after the rice goes in.
  • Stirring too often once the grains should be steaming.
  • Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
How you know it is ready
  • The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
  • The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
  • Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Benga recipe from Burkina Faso
Benga finished dish
Chef board

Build the table around Benga

Tomato sauce, chili oil, fried onions, or grilled chicken.

Best route from here

Burkina Faso national table

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