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Cuban Black Beans and Rice that are rich in color and flavor!
If you love rice as much as I do, then youโll definitely love Cuban Congri! It is hands down one of my favorite rice dishes on earth. And if youโre wondering, what is congri? Congri is Cuban black beans and rice that are rich in color and flavor! In fact, it is that very dark color that I absolutely love!
How do I make Cuban Congri?ย
Cuban Congri is fairly simple to make as long as you follow some key steps. The first thing you want to do is gather fresh, dried black beans. While you can certainly use canned black beans, I find that you get the best results using dried beans. The dried beans are actually the secret to making sure that the Congri or Moro de Habichuelas Negra comes out D-A-R-K.
To start, you want to grab your trusty pressure cooker. I personally love my Ninja Pressure Cooker that Iโve had for years! Itโs multi-functional, but I mainly use it for the pressure cook option. In fact, I canโt tell you just how many of these Iโve seen explode in my childhood!
Growing up, my grandmother had an old school pressure cooker. Once that gasket loosened, it was game over! Luckily, these newer and more modern pressure cookers are much more secure so you wonโt be left cleaning up a giant mess!ย
Once you grab your pressure cooker, add the rinsed black beans, water, onions, garlic, cubanelle or bell peppers, and bay leaves. I like adding aromatics and veggies while pressure cooking since it will give the beans more flavor.
Furthermore, weโre also creating our very own bean stock from scratch that will eventually serve as the base for our Congri. What better way to start the cooking process than right when weโre pressure cooking the beans!ย
Can I make Cuban black beans without a pressure cooker?ย
Absolutely! All you have to do is follow the same steps as if youโre about to pressure cook the black beans. However, youโll want to place the dried black beans, water, garlic, onions, green peppers, and bay leaves into a dutch oven or large pot. Youโll then simmer everything for about 2 hours or until the black beans have softened.
How do I get my Cuban Congri to come out dark?ย
The secret to getting your Congri or Moro Negro to come out dark to use the bean stock / water from the pressure cooker or dutch oven. As the beans soften, the water becomes darker and darker. Weโll then use this same water to cook our moro. This will then turn the rice black / dark brown.
If you feel like the rice is not dark enough – donโt panic. Add 1-2 tsp of soy sauce and this can sometimes help. However, you donโt want to use too much since this will change the flavor profile of the rice. In fact, only use this soy sauce trick if and only if you feel like your Moro is light. Otherwise, skip this trick entirely.
What kind of rice should I use for Cuban Congri / Moro de Habichuelas Negra?ย
I personally love using long grain white rice. Itโs always been my go-to rice anytime Iโm making Cuban or Dominican food from my childhood. However, if you canโt find long grain white rice, then medium grain white rice will also do.
And just like all of the other rice recipes that Iโve shared such as Moro de Habichuelas and Instant Pot Moro de Gandules, you always want to make sure to rinse your rice beforehand. Rinsing the rice under running cold water will leave with rice thatโs perfectly fluffy!ย
Try These Other Classic Cuban Recipes!
Lastly, if Cuban food makes your heart skip a beat, then you have to pair this rice recipe with my Cuban Ropa Vieja or Fricase de Pollo! The two are a match made in heaven!ย Another favorite rice recipe of mine is Dominican Locrio de Salami (Dominican Rice and Sausage).
Letโs eat!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dried Black Beans
- 6 cups Water
- 3 cups Long Grain White Rice
- 3 cups Beans Stock / liquid from Pressure Cooker
- 1 Large Onion Halved
- 1 Cubanelle Pepper Quartered
- 3 Whole Garlic Cloves
- 4 Bay Leaves (2 for pressure cooker and 2 for cooking)
- ยฝ White Onion Minced
- ยฝ Cubanelle Pepper Minced (can sub for green bell pepper)
- 5 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 1 ยฝ tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 tsp Dominican Orรฉgano
- ยฝ tsp Cumin
- 2 tsp Soy Sauce (secret ingredient)
- 1 cup Whole Cilantro
- 2 tbsp Chicken Bouillon or Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Rinse black beans and set aside
- Roughly chop 1 white onion and 1 cubanelle pepper. Set aside. Then mince 1/2 of another white onion and 1/2 cubanelle or green bell pepper. Mince 5 garlic cloves. Set aside in a separate bowl.
- Add rinsed black beans to a pressure cooker along with 6 cups of water, roughly chopped white onion, roughly chopped / quartered cubanelle pepper, 2 bay leaves and 3 whole garlic cloves. Secure pressure cooker lid and pressure on HIGH for 45 minutes.
- Once the beans have pressure cooked, carefully release pressure. Remove onions, bay leaves, and green peppers. Drain black beans making sure to save the bean stock liquid. Set liquid aside.
- Over medium high heat, warm up dutch oven. Then add olive oil and saute minced onions, peppers, and garlic. Add kosher salt and black pepper to help veggies sweat. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Then add black beans and mix. Next, add Dominican oregano, cumin, chicken bouillon cube, bay leaves, and tomato paste. Mix until well combined. Then add bean stock / liquid from pressure cooker. Mix until well combined.
- Once the liquid begins to simmer, add rinsed white rice and mix. Continue to stir rice until the liquid has evaporated. This will take about 7-10 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally so that the rice does not burn on the bottom. Once the water has evaporated, the rice will thicken and it will make a crackle sound. Add cilantro and gently fold into the rice. Cover rice with lid and reduce flame to low.
- Steam cook rice on low for 30-40 minutes until the rice has softened. Once the rice is cooked, remove cilantro and bay leaves. Gently fluff and enjoy while warm with your favorite side dish.