Burkinabé Riz Gras

Name: Burkinabé Riz Gras
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Burkina Faso
Ingredients: 4 cups rice, washed; 2 lbs beef, cut into chunks; 4 tomatoes, blended; 2 red bell peppers, blended; 1 onion, chopped; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1 cabbage wedge and 2 carrots, chopped; 4 cups water or beef stock

Photo: Mandanye, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

8 servings20 min prep55 min cookMedium Burkina Faso

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Burkinabé Riz Gras

Story updated September 17, 2026

Known in Burkina Faso as riz gras, this oil-rich, meat-and-vegetable rice belongs to the same jollof-rice family believed to have spread from Senegal's Senegambia region across French-speaking West Africa. The Mossi people, Burkina Faso's largest ethnic group, made it a fixture of everyday and celebratory meals alike.

Ingredients

Scale:· 8 servings

4 cups rice, washed
2 lbs beef, cut into chunks
4 tomatoes, blended
2 red bell peppers, blended
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 cabbage wedge and 2 carrots, chopped
4 cups water or beef stock

Instructions

1Brown the beef with onion in oil in a large pot.
2Stir in tomato paste, then the blended tomato-pepper mixture, and simmer 15-20 minutes.
3Add water, cabbage, and carrots, and simmer 15 minutes until tender.
4Remove the meat and vegetables, then stir the rice into the sauce.
5Cover and cook on low heat 25-30 minutes until tender.
6Serve the rice topped with meat and vegetables.

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