North America → Haiti → Ouest (Port-au-Prince)
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Diri Djon Djon (Haitian Black Mushroom Rice)
Long-grain rice cooked in the inky, earthy liquor of dried Haitian djon djon mushrooms with garlic, thyme, clove and peas, turning grey-black and fragrant, served beside meat or fish on special days.
Haitian · easy · serves 6
prep 15 min · cook 40 min · plus 5 min hands-off time
~322 cal · 6g protein · 57g carbs · 8g fat · 2g fiber · 2g sugars · 1g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Djon djon are small dark mushrooms that grow in Haiti, particularly in the north, and are sold dried in Haitian markets. Mycologists think several species go by the name, the commonest a Psathyrella. The caps are not really eaten. They are soaked or boiled in water, which they turn an inky grey-black, and that liquor is used to cook rice.
The result, diri djon djon, is rice coloured dark grey to black, with a deep, earthy, savoury taste. It is a dish for special occasions in Haiti, for Sundays, birthdays, weddings and Christmas, and it is served alongside meat or fish: griot, stewed chicken, oxtail or fried fish. Djon djon is expensive, but only a handful is needed to colour a big pot.
Many cooks add green peas or lima beans, and some add a little salted pork, shrimp or a whole hot pepper for flavour. Haitians abroad sometimes use djon djon bouillon cubes when the dried mushrooms are hard to find; dried mushrooms give the real colour and taste.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
- 1 cup (about 30 to 50 g) dried djon djon mushrooms, from Caribbean grocers or online
- 4 cups (1 L) water
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups (400 g) long-grain or jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup green peas, frozen or fresh, or lima beans
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 pepper, whole, left whole so it perfumes without much heat
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- 1Pick the djon djon over and pull off the tough stems. Bring the water to a boil, add the mushrooms and boil for 15 minutes, until the water is inky black.✎ Chef’s noteYou can instead soak them overnight in hot water, which gives a slightly deeper flavour.
- 2Strain the liquor through a fine sieve lined with a paper towel, pressing the mushrooms to squeeze out every drop, and discard the mushrooms. You need about 3 cups; top up with water if short.
- 3Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add the peas and stir for 2 minutes.
- 4Pour in the mushroom liquor, add the thyme, cloves, whole Scotch bonnet and salt, and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, return to the boil and cook uncovered for a minute or two until the liquid drops to the level of the rice.
- 5Cover tightly, turn the heat to low and cook for 18 to 20 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid absorbed. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, remove the pepper, thyme and cloves, and fluff with a fork.
Haitian festive tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Ouest (Port-au-Prince). Epis is made ahead and kept in the fridge: parsley, thyme, scallion, garlic, peppers and citrus blitzed into a green paste that starts nearly every pot. Pikliz is its opposite number, cabbage, carrot and scotch bonnet left in vinegar until they sharpen, spooned over fried food to cut the fat.
🗺️
Haiti. Haitian cooking is bold and proud, griot (twice-cooked pork), rice and beans, and the fiery pikliz slaw, all lifted by the herb base epis. African, French, and Taíno roots meet in a deeply flavorful Creole table.
🌍
North America. Almost every regional cooking here records who arrived and on what terms. Enslaved West Africans brought rice, okra, black-eyed peas and the techniques behind Lowcountry and Creole food; Chinese railway labour and later Italian, Jewish, Mexican and Vietnamese arrivals built the way the cities eat; and Indigenous foodways sit underneath all of it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Haiti
Diri Kolé ak PwaHaiti’s national rice and beans: red beans cooked into coconut-scented rice with thyme, clove, and Scotch bonnet.
Espageti AyisyenHaiti's famous breakfast spaghetti tossed with smoky herring, onions, peppers, and a hit of epis and ketchup, savory morning comfort.
Soup JoumouA golden squash soup with beef, pasta, and root vegetables, Haiti's soup of freedom, eaten every New Year's Day.
Browse all Haiti recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Cool leftover rice quickly and refrigerate within an hour. Keep up to 2 days and reheat until piping hot all the way through.
Make it a Haiti meal
KremasDrink
Pen PatatDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Diri Djon Djon (Haitian Black Mushroom Rice)?
Long-grain rice cooked in the inky, earthy liquor of dried Haitian djon djon mushrooms with garlic, thyme, clove and peas, turning grey-black and fragrant, served beside meat or fish on special days.
Where does Diri Djon Djon (Haitian Black Mushroom Rice) come from?
Diri Djon Djon (Haitian Black Mushroom Rice) is a Haitian dish from Ouest (Port-au-Prince), Haiti.
Can Diri Djon Djon (Haitian Black Mushroom Rice) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Diri Djon Djon (Haitian Black Mushroom Rice) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Diri Djon Djon (Haitian Black Mushroom Rice) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Diri Djon Djon (Haitian Black Mushroom Rice) take to make?
About 1 h in all: 15 minutes prep and 40 minutes cooking, plus 5 min of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 6.
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