DISH RESEARCH · Main dish
Benga
Rice and black-eyed peas with optional onion-tomato sauce and chicken.
About Benga
Marieme Dembele describes learning Burkinabè benga from her aunt Bintou. This basmati-rice and black-eyed-pea version uses the culinary potash option discussed in the recipe.
An optional slow-cooked onion-and-tomato sauce carries cumin, coriander, garlic and bay leaves. Chicken is also offered, with lemon and the suggested spice-and-nokoss marinade.
The rice and beans form the main preparation, with cooking liquid from the beans reused for the rice. The sauce and chicken provide separate optional companions rather than changing the rice-and-bean base.
Allergens in this recipe
Allergen details are not yet confirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Benga
Marieme Dembele’s aunt-taught Burkinabè Benga with culinary potash.
- Black-eyed peasBase
- Basmati riceBase
- WaterLiquid
- Culinary potash (potasse)Seasoning · OptionalIngredient page not linked
- SaltSeasoning · Optional
- OnionsAromatic · Optional onion-tomato sauce · Optional
- Canola oilCooking medium · Optional onion-tomato sauce · Optional
- Fresh tomatoBase · Optional onion-tomato sauce · Optional
- Tomato concentrateBase · Optional onion-tomato sauce · Optional
- CuminSeasoning · Optional onion-tomato sauce · Optional
- Coriander spiceSeasoning · Optional sauce and chicken · OptionalIngredient page not linked
- GarlicAromatic · Optional onion-tomato sauce · Optional
- Bay leavesAromatic · Optional onion-tomato sauce · Optional
- PepperSeasoning · Optional sauce and chicken · OptionalIngredient page not linked
- Chilli pepperSeasoning · Optional onion-tomato sauce · OptionalIngredient page not linked
- Chicken drumsticksProtein · Optional chicken · Optional
- Lemon juiceSeasoning · Optional chicken · Optional
- Garlic powderSeasoning · Optional chicken · Optional
- Ground cuminSeasoning · Optional chicken · Optional
- NokossSeasoning · Optional chicken · OptionalIngredient page not linked
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Black-eyed peas: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual niébé/cornilles52, no white-bean Atassi variant.
- Basmati rice: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual source53 option chosen over unspecified favourite rice.
- Water: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Explicit bean rinse74/boil75, rice rinse/reused bean liquid plus water77; optional chicken cold rinse87 also explicit, contact not all retained.
- Culinary potash (potasse) (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual traditional option35/55/67/94 selected over bicarbonate substitute. Optional core41, sauce use within optional sauce; chemical identity not verified and source casual KOH analogy not adopted.
- Salt (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Optional core adjustment42 and seasoning within optional sauce/chicken, no forced main salt dose.
- Onions (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Canola oil (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Selected canola option60; separate plain oil/salt garnish79 alternative excluded.
- Fresh tomato (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Tomato concentrate (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Cumin (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Sauce63 unspecified spice form, distinct from chicken ground cumin87.
- Coriander spice (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Exact coriander part/form unspecified in spice lists63/71/87; not forced leaf or seed.
- Garlic (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Sauce63 unspecified form, chicken garlic powder separately named87.
- Bay leaves (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Listed64 but written sauce method omits addition stage; retained.
- Pepper (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Type/form unspecified65/71/87.
- Chilli pepper (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Further optional66 within already optional sauce; type/form unspecified.
- Chicken drumsticks (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Selected actual drumstick69 option over generic pieces.
- Lemon juice (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Explicit cleaning juice87 from listed lemon70, no peel or marinade-only use invented.
- Garlic powder (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual selected marinade suggestion87.
- Ground cumin (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual selected marinade suggestion87, distinct known ground form.
- Nokoss (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Named suggested marinade87 retained; full compound recipe not supplied, not reconstructed.
Origins & food traditions
Countries
- Burkina Faso
- Burkina FasoCatalogue link pending review
Cuisines & regions
- Burkinabè Cuisine
- Burkinabè CuisineCatalogue link pending review
AI-generated illustration of one possible presentation. Recipes and ingredients vary; the image does not establish allergen content.