Here is a recipe for West African pâté de riz (rice pâté). This is a favorite in my household—or it was when rice was cheaper.

Ingredients:
6 C cooked sticky rice
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 C chopped green veggies of any kind
1 C water
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 chopped tomatoes or 1 C tomato paste
1/4 to 1/3 C peanut butter
Salt to taste
Hot red pepper (optional)
Ginger (optional)

Start rice cooking with plenty of water (2.25 cups water to 1 cup dry rice works for me) so it will be soft and sticky.

In a pot, sauté the onion in the oil. When the onions are cooked, add the veggies, garlic and water and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes or tomato paste. Add optional hot red pepper (fresh tastes best, but dried is okay). Add the peanut butter to taste, stirring constantly, or it will stick to the bottom. When the peanut butter has cooked through, the sauce is done. Add salt and ginger to taste.

By this time, your rice should be done cooking. Stir it with a big spoon, mashing it against the side of the pot so it breaks up and sticks together. Take a bowl and wet the inside of it with water or a bit of oil. Pack the rice into it, and then invert it over a plate so the bowl-shaped rice blob falls onto it. Pour out some sauce beside it. Scoop the rice with your fingers, dip it in the sauce and enjoy.

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