Diri ak Djon-Djon

Djon-djon is native to Haiti — it grows wild only in the mountains of the country's north and around the Artibonite valley, foraged in the rainy season, and is found essentially nowhere else. The name doesn't refer to a single species but to several small black mushrooms; because it is rare and lends rice a grey-black color (and an earthy umami) found in no other dish, diri ak djon-djon is Haiti's most distinct grain dish, served at weddings, baptisms, and Sunday lunches. The technique hinges on the broth: the dried caps are steeped in hot water, and the inky black liquid is strained clear and used as the rice's cooking liquid — that's where the color comes from. Because the mushroom won't grow outside Haiti, Haitian restaurants in Miami and Brooklyn still fly in the dried caps from home.

The rice grains are deep slate-grey — almost like risotto, almost like wild rice, but unmistakably its own color. Each grain has soaked up the mushroom broth's earthy umami; the scotch bonnet adds quiet heat; thyme and parsley keep the grey color from feeling heavy. Shrimp jewels punctuate the bowl.

It all rests on the mushroom broth. The dried caps must steep in hot water long enough to release their dark color and flavor fully — the longer the soak, the deeper the liquor. The broth is then strained through fine cheesecloth (not just a strainer) to remove grit that would feel sandy on the tongue. The key step is using that strained black broth as the rice's cooking liquid — not just adding mushrooms to water-cooked rice — so the grains absorb the color all the way through.