I grew up enjoying this meal, and at the time, it was more affordable for all, but other than that, it’s versatile, allowing you to cook it in different ways. While you can make the rice and beans apart, I like the Mexican style, where they make one pot of rice and beans. Would you like to learn this?
While you can decide to use many ingredients, even if you have minimal ingredients, you can still use them to make them.
Origin of one pot of rice and beans
Although the version I presented here is more Mexican, one pot of rice and beans originated in Africa. This food pairing originated in Africa and then traveled to Latin America and the Caribbean.
We have it in Kenya among the Kikuyu community; it’s not cooked the same way the Mexicans enrich it. Of course, this rice style is not as common as Nigerian fried rice, pilau biryani, and jollof, but it’s still available.
I loved the Mexican version and have enjoyed making it for my family, so that you can try this one pot version.
Why the rice and beans
It’s versatile
There are different ways to cook this kind of rice and beans. We mostly cook it as two meals, not one pot, and while they are all great, the one pot is time-saving. This is most common in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa.
You can cook it differently, but how flavorful you want will determine the ingredients. Choose to make it simple, like the Kikuyu-Kenyan or spicy Mexican versions, and it’s all great.
It’s easily accessible.
At least it’s the one meal with readily available ingredients. I would gladly say that whichever country you are in, you will always have beans and rice available. So it’s easy to mix it up and create a great meal.
It’s delicious
Remember to enrich the food as much as you would like to. The way you, therefore, cook this meal makes it an appealing choice to enjoy and even serve to your friends.
Is it a way to spice up your rice
if you are like my family that loves rice, you know that you sometimes get tired of white rice. If you want a change in the rice meal to spice it up a little more, then you can use this rice and beans style to spice it a bit.
How to cook rice and beans
I like this Mexican Caribbean style of rice, and of course, since I found it, I have made it several times, and I’m a master at making it. Since I learned how to make this recipe, I have always made rice like this.
I like to say that this is one of the best and quick recipes you can cook faster, even during the week.
Ingredients
- Rice
- boiled beans
- Red Onions and spring onions
- Tomatoes
- olive oil
- garlic ginger paste
- red bell pepper
- Cumin
- Paprika
- cayenne
- Parsley
- Broth
Method
Prepare the ingredients
Start by soaking the rice to soften it and reduce the time it takes to cook it.
Next, prepare your beans if you haven’t boiled them yet. If you are using the canned beans, it’s time to rinse and set it aside, ready to cook. I prefer fresh beans to canned ones, but whichever works for you is okay.
Chop the vegetables like onions, ginger, garlic, and such things to ensure you are ready.
Cook the aromatics
Start by setting the olive oil onto the saucepan to cook, then set the onions to the pan to cook. Next, add ginger garlic paste to cook. All these will form the perfect and rich aromas ready to enjoy.
Add the spices
The best trick is to allow the spices of your choice to aromatize. To build up the flavors, you will need rich spices to make it delicious. It should take you about 1-2 minutes to cook these spices.
Now coat the rice
Add rice to the mixture and then mix it to coat the rice, thus having it nicely cooked and delicious. You will have it richly aromatic and flavorful when you cook it right.
Add your tomato puree and beans.
Now add the beans but make sure you have drained the excess water. Toss it lightly to make sure everything is coated. Then add the pureed tomatoes to form the perfect meal and color too.
Add your broth
Add the broth, and in this case, I like to use beef broth for that rich food. However, you can also use vegetable broth if you like. Just add enough with enough salt and then allow it to simmer and cook.
It should take about 15 minutes to have this food cooked right and fully.
Remove it from the heat, then add the chopped spring onions and parsley. Cover it for another five minutes to let it be fluffy.
Taste to find if it’s nicely seasoned and serve it with your favorite meats if you like or just as it is.
FAQs
Can it use other beans aside from black beans and canned beans?
Of course, you can use all the different styles of beans. I know they traditionally use canned and black beans, but you are good to go even if you have kidney beans.
Is it okay to state that this is a quick meal?
This is a quick meal, especially because it’s a one-pot. You just need to have readily boiled beans and rice. You can fix it in just a little over 20 minutes.
Is it healthy?
But of course, with the presence of the beans in the meal, you have the richness of the fibers, and the meal also is rich in carbs, vitamins, proteins, and minerals.
Can this be a whole meal?
You may need additional veggies or fruits to make it a real meal. If you like to eat this, you will attain great nutrients but also miss a few others. So just make sure to have additional ingredients for it.
What else can I eat with this?
To make it even better, you can add the following;
Meats: consider eating grilled or roasted meats with this. If you have chicken, fish, beef, or lamb, enriching the meal even further is okay.
Avocado: This adds color to the recipe and enriches the food with more vitamins and great fats.
Some people eat it with fried eggs to give it another enriching flavor
A bowl of tropical fruits: add different kinds of fruits, then mix them to create a fruit salad alongside this meal.
Hybrid tea: sometimes, we like to add refreshing tea to make it deliciously rich.
Can I use it in my burrito?
You can add it to the burrito as part of the filling, and it will be richly delicious. Even if you would like to add it to your tacos, you can also add it to this.
To enrich it, you can also add guac, sour cream, mayo, or cheese.
What should I do to the leftovers?
You can use it to make your burrito, which means you’re giving it value addition.
You can also store it for five days in the refrigerator, but after that, it will lose its great taste.
You can reheat it in the microwave and then eat it, and if you don’t want to, you can add just a little bit of water and then stove it while covering it.
One pot of rice and beans – in a nutshell
Try this recipe today, and let me see how it comes out for you. If you like to cook, you should try this meal to be hooked.