Cuban-Style Arroz Congrí

Name: Cuban-Style Arroz Congrí
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup dried black beans; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 small onion, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 small green pepper, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces; 5 or 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; Freshly ground pepper; 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, roughly chopped; 1/4 teaspoon dried dill; 2 small bay leaves; 1 tablespoon cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon dry red wine, or vino seco; 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed

Recipe from Yolanda Horruitiner

Adapted by Kim Severson

Updated May 2, 2023

Cuban-Style Arroz Congrí — Rikki Snyder for The New York Times

Total Time: 1½ to 2½ hours
Rating: 4(566)
Comments: Read comments

The combination of white rice and black beans is a Cuban staple. Black beans served on top of or next to white rice is most commonly called Moros y Cristianos, a reference to the medieval battle between Islamic Moors and Christian Spaniards on the Iberian Peninsula. When rice and beans are mixed with sautéed aromatic vegetables and sometimes bits of pork, the result is called congrí. (In some Cuban households, it is also called Moros y Cristianos.) As a rule, congrí is a fluffier and drier dish than Moros y Cristianos. Yolanda Horruitiner, who has lived in Cuba for all of her 70 years, makes this simple version of congrí without pork or cumin, which is a staple in some versions. Feel free to add either to the sofrito base. This recipe uses a stovetop to cook both the rice and beans, although the dish can be assembled more quickly using a pressure cooker and rice cooker and making the sofrito in a separate sauté pan, then mixing it into the rice before it’s all cooked. —Kim Severson

Featured in: For Cuban Home Cooks, Ingenuity and Luck Are Key Ingredients

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Ingredients

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1cup dried black beans
2tablespoons olive oil
1small onion, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1small green pepper, chopped into ½-inch pieces
5 or 6cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1tablespoon fresh oregano, roughly chopped
¼teaspoon dried dill
2small bay leaves
1tablespoon cider vinegar
1tablespoon dry red wine, or vino seco
1½cups long-grain rice, rinsed

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Rinse the beans and pick them over for any small stones. Put the beans and 8 cups water in a medium-size pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, partly cover and cook until tender, about 1 to 2 hours. (Time will vary depending on the bean.)
Step 2
Meanwhile, make the sofrito: Put the oil in a medium-size pot (large enough to hold the rice as well) over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onion, green pepper and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are limp. Stir in the oregano, dill and bay leaves and remove from heat.
Step 3
Drain the beans, reserving the broth and being careful to not break the beans. In a large measuring cup, add the vinegar and wine, 1 cup of the reserved bean broth and enough water for all the liquid to measure 2¼ cups.
Step 4
Put the sofrito back on medium heat, add the rice and stir to combine. Cook the rice for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the seasoned bean broth/water mixture and the salt. Bring to a boil, stir, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 17 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and return cover to pot for 10 minutes.
Step 5
Remove bay leaves and put rice mixture into a mixing bowl. Gently mix in the beans, being careful not to break them. Season well with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve hot.

Ratings

4 out of 5

566 user ratings

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Comments

Marj7 years ago

Ooh, me gusta esta receta!

Close family members leave for two or three years in Havana next month, and thanks to Yolanda Horruitiner and Kim Severson, I'm already eating vicariously (and voraciously).

Chefs in Little Havana restaurants routinely use sazón completa, a prepared spice mix, for congrís and Moros y Cristianos. Included is cumin. Cubans use these convenience packets, but Goya, America's largest Hispanic-owned food company, has not yet penetrated the Cuban market.

blackthorn7 years ago

I know opinions vary but I'd sorely miss the cumin if I left it out. Still, I say good for Yolanda!

Lin Kaatz Chary7 years ago

You don't need an hour to cook the rice if you use Marj's method, similar to the method I've always used, the Peruvian way I learned from my mother. I just use less water - 1-1/4 cup water to each cup of rice. The key is letting the water boil until the steam holes appear, covering the pot tightly & letting it steam over super-low heat for 30 minutes vs 17 for Marj (don't know the difference) "DON'T LIFT THE COVER!" I can still hear my mother's voice!

Diana2 years ago

Native Cuban here - I agree with Luis. Congri is made with small red beans, not black beans. Also, the way we made ours was with ham bones and some lardons, one cup red wine, no dill, a Habanero or 2 jalapeno pepper, 3 TBSP vinegar, and a small amount of sugar to balance the acidity of the wine and the vinegar, in addition to the spices mentioned here. Very tasty. "Old school" people like me do not use sazon packets, those are just for convenience - we actually mix the spices themselves.

Karen2 years ago

This plates well with a giant pile of garlicky greens and cubes/slices of fruit—melons or oranges go great.

me3 years ago

add cumin, and also just use a can of black beans instead of bothering with cooking the dried ones

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