Diri ak Djon Djon

Place the dried djon djon mushrooms in a medium pot with four cups of water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for fifteen minutes until the water turns a deep, inky black colour and the mushrooms have released their full flavour.

Strain the dark mushroom liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean bowl, pressing the mushrooms to extract every drop of the precious black broth. Discard the mushroom solids and set the liquid aside.

Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear, which removes excess starch and ensures the finished rice will have distinct, separate grains rather than clumping together during cooking.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, add the minced garlic and epis paste, and saute for two minutes until fragrant and the green seasoning has bloomed its flavours into the oil.

Add the cooked green peas, thyme sprigs, black pepper, and crumbled bouillon cube to the pot, stirring for one minute to combine all the aromatics before adding the rice and the strained mushroom broth.

Pour the strained djon djon liquid over the rice, add the salt, and bring the pot to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring once to ensure no rice grains are stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting, cover the pot tightly with a lid, and cook for eighteen to twenty minutes without lifting the cover, allowing the rice to absorb the dark liquid and steam to perfection.

Remove from heat and let the pot rest covered for an additional five minutes, then uncover, remove the thyme sprigs, and fluff the rice gently with a fork. The grains should be beautifully jet-black and fragrant.

Serve the diri ak djon djon on a platter alongside griot, grilled fish, or stewed chicken, with the striking black colour and deep earthy mushroom flavour making it the centrepiece of any Haitian celebration meal.