~511 cal · 6g protein · 61g carbs · 29g fat (estimated, per serving)
🍽️
Creamy coconut rice porridge in a bowl
🇬🇼 Bissau
Guinea-Bissau's cooking braids West African rice culture with Portuguese Creole habits, and papa de arroz is a soft, comforting result: rice simmered down in coconut milk until it turns to a loose pudding, sweetened and brightened with lime. It is nursery food and market-morning food alike.
Sign in to save recipes to your book and leave reviews.
Make it yours
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
•
1 cup short-grain rice
•
2 cups coconut milk
•
3 cups water
•
1/4 cup sugar, to taste
•
1/2 lime lime zest and juice
•
1 pinch pinch of salt
Instructions
1
Rinse the rice, then simmer it with the water and salt, partly covered, until very soft, about 18 minutes.
2
Pour in the coconut milk and cook another 8–10 minutes, stirring, until creamy and thickened.
3
Sweeten with sugar and stir in the lime zest and juice for brightness.
4
Serve warm or chilled, thinning with a splash of coconut milk if it sets too firm.
Bissau coastal Creole home cooking.
Ratings & reviews
Sign in to rate this recipe once you’ve cooked it.
No reviews yet — be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Bissau. A Luso-African capital of rice, fish, and palm.
🗺️
Guinea-Bissau. A Luso-African coast of rice, fish, and palm.
🌍
Africa. Fifty-four countries of tagines, stews, and fire-kissed grills.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
More from Guinea-Bissau
Caldo de Peixe
A Guinea-Bissau fish-and-rice pot simmered with palm oil, tomato, and greens in one dish.
Sumo de Caju
The bright, astringent juice of the cashew apple — Guinea-Bissau's signature crop — pressed, tamed, and sweetened into a tropical cooler.