Rice & Beans

Name: Rice & Beans
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: dried red kidney beans (or 2 × 400 g tins, drained) (UK sub: Tins work fine; dried gives better texture. Both in most supermarkets.); coconut milk (400 ml tin) (UK sub: Any supermarket own-brand tinned coconut milk is good.); long-grain white rice (350 g); culantro (or fresh coriander) (UK sub: Culantro is hard to find in Barrow; coriander is a reasonable substitute — use double the amount.); scotch bonnet (1, whole — do not pierce) (UK sub: Widely available at Caribbean grocers and many Asda/Tesco in areas with Caribbean communities.); garlic (3 cloves); spring onions (3–4 stems); salt

Rice & Beans (distinct from Gallo Pinto — here the rice cooks in the bean broth)

The Sunday staple of Belizean cooking — coconut-scented red kidney beans cooked down with rice. Not to be confused with the stirred-together Gallo Pinto you get in Guatemala.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 60 min
Total: 75 min
Serves: 6

ricebeanscoconut-milkscotch-bonnetgluten-freevegan

Ingredients

dried red kidney beans (or 2 × 400 g tins, drained) — UK: Tins work fine; dried gives better texture. Both in most supermarkets.
coconut milk (400 ml tin) — UK: Any supermarket own-brand tinned coconut milk is good. · Find it at: Simmer Down Caribbean Foods, World Foods Online, Africa & Caribbean Foods UK
long-grain white rice (350 g) · Find it at: Simmer Down Caribbean Foods, Preston Market Caribbean Stall
culantro (or fresh coriander) — UK: Culantro is hard to find in Barrow; coriander is a reasonable substitute — use double the amount.
scotch bonnet (1, whole — do not pierce) — UK: Widely available at Caribbean grocers and many Asda/Tesco in areas with Caribbean communities. · Find it at: Simmer Down Caribbean Foods, Tropical World, Preston Market Caribbean Stall, Africa & Caribbean Foods UK
garlic (3 cloves)
spring onions (3–4 stems)
salt

Method

If using dried beans: soak overnight in cold water. Drain, cover with fresh water by 5 cm, and boil 45–60 minutes until just tender. Reserve the cooking liquid. If using tinned: skip to step 2.
Measure the cooked (or drained tinned) beans — you want roughly 400 g. Place in a heavy saucepan with 600 ml of the bean liquid (or plain water for tinned) and pour in the tin of coconut milk.
Add the whole scotch bonnet, crushed garlic, spring onions, and culantro/coriander. Season well with salt.
Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes so the flavours get acquainted.
Add the rice, stir once, and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover tightly, and cook 20 minutes.
Lift the lid — the rice should have absorbed all the liquid. Remove the scotch bonnet (discard or save for the brave). Fluff gently with a fork, taste for salt.
Serve hot as a main alongside stew chicken, or as a side with fried fish.