Burkina Faso | Main dish

Riz Gras

Name: Riz Gras
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Burkina Faso, West Africa
Ingredients: 3 cups long-grain rice, washed; 500 g beef or goat, cut into pieces; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 2 large onions, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 medium carrots, diced; 1 small cabbage, shredded; ¼ cup vegetable oil; 5 cups water or stock; salt, to taste; black pepper, to taste; 1 whole hot pepper, optional, left whole

Burkina Faso's rich one-pot rice cooked in a meat and tomato broth with vegetables. The rice is "fat" from absorbing all the flavours of the stock.

Country

Burkina Faso

Region

West Africa

Time

70 min

Serves

Level

medium

Start cooking Explore Burkina Faso recipes

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.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 6 servings

Main dish

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Lidded pot

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

5 steps 20 min prep 50 min cook (check method) 70 min total medium

Brown the meat

Heat oil in a large pot. Season meat with salt and black pepper, then brown on all sides. Remove and reserve.

Brown meat 10:00

Build the base

Fry onions and garlic in the same pot until golden. Add tomato paste and cook 3 minutes. Add 5 cups water or stock, optional hot pepper, and the browned meat. Bring to a boil and simmer until meat is tender, about 25 minutes.

Simmer meat 25:00

Add vegetables

Add carrots and cabbage to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes.

Cook vegetables 05:00

Cook the rice

Add the washed rice to the pot, ensuring liquid covers it by about 2cm. Cover tightly and cook on low heat for 25 minutes without opening.

Kitchen noteThe rice should absorb all the flavoured broth.

Cook rice 25:00

Serve

Fluff rice with a fork. Serve with the meat and vegetables arranged on top.

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

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 Celebrations and family gatherings. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 70 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Fried plantain and a simple salad

Follow the collection

One-Pot Wonders is the easiest collection to explore after this dish. One-Pot Wonders

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.

Riz Gras recipe from Burkina Faso — Riz Gras finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Riz Gras

Fried plantain and a simple salad

Best route from here

Burkina Faso national table

Collections to keep cooking

One-Pot Family Meals

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