Dirty Rice is a traditional Louisiana Creole dish made from white rice which gets a “dirty” color from being cooked with small pieces of pork, beef, and chicken livers. The Louisianan “Holy Trinity” of onion, green bell pepper, and celery are added, cooked down, and spiced with cayenne and black pepper. Parsley and chopped scallion are common garnishes.
Farmers from the west coast of Africa were captured and brought to Louisiana as slaves for their ability to cultivate rice in the marshes and bayous. Rice combined with the leftover organ meat provided by the slave owners were the primary components of the initial dirty rice recipe. As people gained more wealth in the area over time and access to better ingredients, the recipe saw more expensive additions being incorporated, such as andouille sausage and ground beef instead of chicken livers and pig intestines. Cooks also include additional spices, such as bay leaves, garlic, and cayenne pepper.
Louisiana Dirty Rice
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- ½ lb. Ground beef
- ½ lb. Ground pork
- ½ lb. Chicken livers, pureed
- ½ cup Chicken broth
- 1 cup Onion, chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- ½ cup Green bell pepper
- ½ cup Celery, chopped
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 6 cups Long-grain rice, cooked (2 cups uncooked)
- 1 can Diced tomatoes, drained
- Garnish: scallion and parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Prep – Chop all vegetables. Cook and cool white rice.
- Cook – Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add beef, pork, and chicken liver. Cook until browned and crisp, around 15 minutes. Add half of the chicken broth, scrape up browned bits from the bottom, and cook until evaporated. Repeat with remaining broth. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Assemble and Serve – To the pot, mix in salt, black pepper, cayenne, cooked rice, and tomatoes. Scoop into a serving bowl, garnish with chopped scallion and parsley. Serve with hot sauce on the side.
Notes
- Dirty rice can be made days in advance by mixing everything except the rice and storing in the refrigerator. To serve, cook white rice and warm up vegetables on the stove. Add cooked rice to vegetables, stir to combine, and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish and serve.
