Ooo rice how I love you so. As a cuban, I don’t believe a meal is complete without rice. You can ask my wife. Sometimes I can substitute it for another carb like potatoes, but in realization it’s just not the same. Every meal needs rice! Enter, congri, aka Cuban rice and beans, a traditional Cuban side dish that makes you feel like you are home everyday.
This recipe is inspired by my tia (aunt) Vivi who is the master at making congri. She has this skill that she is able to produce dishes like this in large quantities, which I find so hard to make. I feel like when you start making large dishes it is hard to keep the original flavor, but I hope to one day be able to cook like she does.
What is the difference between black beans & rice and congri?
There are many different variations in making black beans and rice in Cuban cuisine. Black beans can be made on their own and be served over rice. Congri is made with the beans and rice in one pot, using the liquid from the black beans to cook the rice. This gives the rice the black color. We also have moro y cristianos, but that’s for another time.
How do you make Congri?
- Make your beans: A lot of recipes call for beans from a can, but let’s not cheat on this one. In a pressure cooker, add half a pound of beans, 7 cups of water, two tablespoons of olive oil and one teaspoon of cumin. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. This is going to slightly cook the beans, but they are still going to be hard and that’s okay because they will cook more when we add them to the rice.
- Cook your bacon and sofrito: Cut six bacon strips into one inch slices and add to a pot over medium heat. Cook for about 8 minutes, until they’re crispy. While the bacon is cooking, dice your onions, green peppers, and garlic to make your sofrito. Once the bacon is done, remove the bacon and set aside. Using the oil left over from the bacon, add your sofrito and cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Add your rice: Once your sofrito is done, add your washed parboiled rice and two tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the rice into the sofrito and allow it to absorb the oil and sofrito juices. This takes about 2-3 minutes, and you will notice that the rice will start to slightly clump up.
- Adding your beans and seasoning: Once your beans are done cooking, add five cups of the water from the pressure cooker to the rice. Strain the beans out of the remaining water and add to the pot with the rice. Now add your salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer, cover and allow it to cook until all the water is absorbed. You may stir the rice a few times to prevent it from sticking on the bottom.
If you want to try making black beans on their own, check out my recipe for Cuban Black Beans!
Congri Recipe
Ingredients
To make the black beans
- ½ lb of black beans
- 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp of cumin
- 7 cups of water
To make the congri
- 6 strips of bacon
- 1 cup of onions diced
- ½ cup of green peppers diced
- 4 garlic cloves diced
- 2 cups of parboiled rice washed and drained
- 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cups of water from the cooked beans
- Cooked beans
- 1 tbsp of garlic powder
- 2 ½ tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of oregano
- 1 tsp of cumin
- ½ tsp of black pepper
Instructions
To cook your beans:
- In a pressure cooker, add half a pound of beans, 7 cups of water, two tablespoons of olive oil and one teaspoon of cumin. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once done, strain the beans from the liquid and set both aside. (The beans shouldn’t be fully cooked, they will finish cooking once added to the rice. The black water, will give the rice its color)
To make the congri:
- Cut six bacon strips into one inch slices and add to a pot over medium heat. Cook for about 8 minutes, until they’re crispy.
- While the bacon is cooking, dice your onions, green peppers, and garlic to make your sofrito. Once the bacon is done, remove the bacon and set aside. Increase the heat to medium-high. Using the oil left over from the bacon, add your sofrito and cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Once your sofrito is done, add your washed parboiled rice and two tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the rice into the sofrito and allow it to absorb the oil and sofrito juices. This takes about 2-3 minutes, and you will notice that the rice will start to slightly clump up.
- Add five cups of the water that was drained from the pressure cooker to the rice. Add the strained black beans.
- Now add your salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves. Stir and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and allow it to cook until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. You may stir the rice a few times to prevent it from sticking on the bottom.
- Once all the water is absorbed, add your bacon back in, stir and serve. Enjoy!
