Rice and Beans
Not to be confused with the gallo pinto recipe, Rice n' Beans is a traditional Caribbean dish that may share the main ingredients, but has an entirely different flavor from its counterpart. Unlike gallo pinto, Rice n' Beans is most often served for lunch or dinner and includes a special, additional ingredient that gives the dish its unique flavor – coconut milk.
Cooking Time: 1 hour Yield: 5 servings Level: Intermediate
Ingredients
4 cups long grain rice
3 cups black beans
8 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons sunflower or corn oil
2 red peppers
4 Panamanian green peppers
1 head of garlic
1 large onion
1 seasoning package
1 oz paprika (pimiento)
2 bunches cilantro - culantro de castilla
2 bunches thyme
3 coconuts
4 tablespoons sugar
1 whole chicken
2 chicken buillon mix
2 small packages chicken broth
1 small cabbage
2 cucumbers
2 limes
4 ripe plantains - the skin of the plantains must be black or semi black
Salt to taste
2 oz. monosodium glutamate - optional
Directions
For Beans: Rinse the beans. Combine the beans with water up to 5 in. (12.7 cm) above the surface of the beans. Bring to boiling reduce heat and cook until beans are soft. Let the beans cool down and store them on the refrigerator for 24 hours.
For Chicken:
Rinse the chicken, and cut its parts. Season the chicken with spices, chicken buillon mix, and the chicken broth. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Drain chicken, separating the marinate sauce. In a frying pan, add 4 tablespoon of corn or sunflower oil and 4 tablespoons of sugar, stir until the sugar turns brown. Then, add the chicken piece by piece and cook until chicken is done.
In a large pot, place the chicken, combine it with the coconut milk, add the Panamanian peppers on high heat. Bring to a boil and simmer until most of the coconut milk is absorbed.
For the Rice:
Stripe the coconuts. Pour boiling water on it and squeeze the stripes until you get the coconut milk. Place the milk in a glass container.
Rinse the rice with water and drain the water.
In a pot with 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil, add the chopped onions, thyme, the garlic, and Panamanian peppers. Stir the mix on medium heat. Add the rice and beans to the mix and stir. Add the coconut milk until it reaches 0.79 in. (2 cm) above the rice level. Bring it to boil, cover and cook until the rice is done.
For The Salad: Squeeze the two limes, and store the juice in a glass container. Chop the cabbage, cut the cucumbers and mix them together. Then, add the lime juice and mix.
For the Plantains: Peel the plantains and cut them into 1/8 inch diagonal slices. In a frying pan with 4 teaspoons of vegetable oil, add the plantain and cook until they are brown and turn them over to cook the other side. Serve the rice with the chicken, salad, and the plantain on one dish and enjoy them!