Burundi's beloved fried kidney beans with onion, garlic, and chili, served with plantain or rice.

Where does Ibiharage come from?

Ibiharage is a Burundian dish from Bujumbura, Burundi.

Can Ibiharage be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Ibiharage recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Ibiharage take to make?

About 75 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 60 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Ibiharage — a Bujumbura, Burundi recipe

Name: Ibiharage
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Burundian
Ingredients: 2 cups dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight; 2 large onions, chopped; 4 cloves garlic; 1-2 green chili; 1/4 cup palm or vegetable oil; to taste salt; 1/2 a squeeze of lemon

Africa → 🇧🇮 Burundi → Bujumbura

Ibiharage

Burundian · easy · serves 4

prep 15 min · cook 60 min

~461 cal · 20g protein · 63g carbs · 15g fat (estimated, per serving)

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Fried kidney beans with onions beside plantain

🇧🇮 Bujumbura

Ibiharage is a national favorite in Burundi: kidney beans boiled soft, then fried with plenty of onion, garlic, and chili until they take on a savory depth. Simple, filling, and endlessly adaptable, they are dished up beside fried plantain or rice at tables across Bujumbura and the hills beyond.

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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 —

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2 cups dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight

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2 large onions, chopped

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4 cloves garlic

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1-2 green chili

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1/4 cup palm or vegetable oil

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to taste salt

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1/2 a squeeze of lemon

Instructions

1

Simmer the soaked beans in unsalted water for about 45 minutes until tender; drain.

2

Fry the onions and garlic in the oil until soft and golden.

3

Add the chili and the drained beans and fry, mashing a few, until savory and slightly crisp.

4

Season with salt and a squeeze of lemon.

5

Serve hot with fried plantain, rice, or ugali.

Bujumbura home cooking.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

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Bujumbura. A lakeside city of beans, plantain, and grilled fish.

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Burundi. Great Lakes hills raised on beans, plantain, and ubugali.

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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.

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Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →