Moros y cristianos (Cuban black beans and rice)
Moros y cristianos
Contains allergens
- Author
- Equipo Cocinoa
- Preparation time
- 2 hr
- Servings
- 6
Summary
An easy recipe for 6 servings. It takes about 138 minutes to make. Each serving has about 437 kcal. It is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and sugar-free.
Cuba's black beans and rice: the beans and rice cook together in the dark bean broth with a sofrito of onion, green pepper, garlic, cumin and oregano. A vegan version made with olive oil that goes with almost anything or makes a meal on its own.
Ingredients
- 400 g Rice (long-grain)
- 1 u Onion (large, finely chopped)
- 5 cloves Garlic (chopped)
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 0.5 teaspoons Black pepper (ground)
- 5 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1.5 teaspoons Ground Cumin
- 2 leaves Bay Leaf
- 2 u Green Pepper (one whole for cooking the beans and one finely chopped for the sofrito)
- 300 g Black Beans (dried)
- 1 teaspoon Oregano (dried)
- 1 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar (optional)
- 2 l Water (for cooking the beans)
Instructions
The day before, spread the beans out on a plate and pick out any small stones or broken ones. Rinse them, cover with three times their volume of cold water and leave to soak overnight, 8 to 12 hours.
Drain and put them in a pot with the 2 litres of water, one bay leaf and one of the green peppers, whole. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam and simmer gently with the lid ajar until tender but still whole. Do not salt them yet: everything is seasoned together with the rice.
75 min
Drain the beans over a bowl to save the broth and discard the pepper and bay leaf. Measure out 850 ml of broth; if there is not enough, top it up with hot water.
5 min
Rinse the rice in a sieve under the tap, swirling it with your hand, until the water runs almost clear, then leave to drain.
5 min
In a wide, heavy-based pan with a lid, heat 4 tablespoons of the oil and gently cook the onion and the other pepper, chopped, over medium-low heat until soft and translucent but not browned. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano and black pepper and stir for a minute, until fragrant.
15 min
Add the rice and stir for two minutes so it is coated in the sofrito. Add the beans, the 850 ml of broth, the second bay leaf, the salt and the vinegar, if using. Taste the broth: it should be slightly saltier than you would like on the plate. Bring to the boil and let it bubble uncovered until the liquid drops to the level of the rice and small holes appear on the surface.
8 min
Turn the heat down to the lowest setting, cover tightly and let the rice cook without lifting the lid or stirring.
20 min
Turn off the heat and leave the rice to rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil, fluff up with a fork and serve hot.
10 min
Notes
Moros y cristianos ("Moors and Christians") is the black beans and rice of everyday Cuban cooking, and of celebrations too: it is always there beside the roast pork on Christmas Eve, with cassava in mojo and tostones. Unlike plain white rice with the beans served on the side, here the rice cooks in the beans' own broth, which stains it dark; the name refers to that contrast between the black beans and the white rice. In the east of the island a very similar dish called congrí is made with red beans. Many families start the sofrito with salt pork or a few rashers of bacon; this version uses only olive oil and is vegan. The key is measuring the broth: too little and the rice stays hard, too much and it turns stodgy. If you use tinned black beans, you need about 750 g drained and 850 ml of vegetable stock or water instead of the cooking broth, though the rice will come out paler. In a pressure cooker, soaked beans take about 25 minutes. It keeps for 4 days in the fridge in a closed container and reheats with a splash of water; it also freezes well in portions for up to three months.
More information
Nutrition facts437 kcal per serving
Nutrition facts
- Protein9 %10 g
- Carbs66 %71 g
- Fat25 %12 g
The percentage shows how much of the calories each macronutrient provides.
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 437 kcal | 80 kcal |
| Protein | 10 g | 1.8 g |
| Carbs | 71 g | 12.9 g |
| Fat | 12 g | 2.2 g |
One serving is about 549 g of raw ingredients; values per 100 g are based on that weight.
Estimated from the ingredient list · Values may vary depending on cooking method and product brand.
Guide indicatorsDifficulty, quality and data reliability
Guide indicators
- Estimated difficulty71/100
- Recipe completeness65/100
- Nutrition reliability
- High
Calculated automatically from the ingredients, steps, time and community feedback. They are not a guarantee.
StorageKeeps 4 days in the fridge
Frequently asked questions
- How long does Moros y cristianos (Cuban black beans and rice) take to make?
- It takes about 138 minutes in total.
- Which allergens does Moros y cristianos (Cuban black beans and rice) contain?
- It contains sulphites. Always check the labels of the products you use.
- How long does Moros y cristianos (Cuban black beans and rice) keep in the fridge?
- Up to 4 days in the fridge, in a closed container. It can also be frozen.
- How many calories does Moros y cristianos (Cuban black beans and rice) have?
- About 437 kcal per serving, with 10 g of protein, 71 g of carbohydrates and 12 g of fat. This is an estimate worked out from its ingredients.
- Which diets is this recipe suitable for?
- It is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and sugar-free.
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