Congrí
Rice cooked together with red beans and their liquid, with sofrito and bacon. In eastern Cuba, around Santiago, it’s made with red beans; in Havana they call it “moros y cristianos” and make it with black beans.
Ingredients
- 250 g red kidney beans (soaked overnight)
- 400 g long-grain rice
- 100 g bacon or pancetta
- 1 onion, 1 green pepper and 3 garlic cloves
- Cumin, oregano and bay leaf
- Oil and salt
How to make it at home
- Cook the beans with the bay leaf until tender. Keep the liquid.
- Brown the diced bacon and fry the onion, pepper and garlic in its fat with the cumin and oregano.
- Add the rice and stir for a minute.
- Add the beans and measure their liquid (twice the volume of the rice). Season with salt.
- Cook covered over a low heat for about 20 minutes, until the rice is done and fluffy.
The trick: The bean liquid is what gives the rice its colour.