Congrí (Cuban Rice and Black Beans)
Rice cooked together with black beans in their dark, flavourful cooking liquid, with a sofrito of onion, pepper, garlic, cumin and bacon. Also known as moros y cristianos.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Cook the beans
Drain the soaked beans and put them in a large pot with the water, half the green pepper and the bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the beans are tender but still whole. Do not drain: you need the dark cooking liquid. Remove and discard the pepper and bay leaf.
- 250 g black beans
- 1.5 litres water
- 1/2 green pepper
- 1 bay leaf
✅ Done when: beans are tender but still whole, not mushy
Measure the liquid
Strain the beans into a bowl, keeping both the beans and the liquid separately. Measure 800 ml of the bean liquid, topping up with plain water if you are short.
- 800 ml bean cooking liquid from step 1
- a little, if needed water
Make the sofrito
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Add the rice and beans
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Steam the rice
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Fluff and serve
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Cook the beans
Drain the soaked beans and put them in a large pot with the water, half the green pepper and the bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the beans are tender but still whole. Do not drain: you need the dark cooking liquid. Remove and discard the pepper and bay leaf.
- 250 g black beans
- 1.5 litres water
- 1/2 green pepper
- 1 bay leaf
✅ Done when: beans are tender but still whole, not mushy
Measure the liquid
Strain the beans into a bowl, keeping both the beans and the liquid separately. Measure 800 ml of the bean liquid, topping up with plain water if you are short.
- 800 ml bean cooking liquid from step 1
- a little, if needed water
Make the sofrito
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Add the rice and beans
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Steam the rice
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Fluff and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Congrí is thought to have arrived in eastern Cuba with Haitian and French settlers fleeing the Haitian Revolution around 1800; the name may come from the Haitian Creole for beans (kongo) and rice (riz).
Traditionally congrí was made with red beans in the east, while black-bean versions are often called moros y cristianos, 'Moors and Christians', after the dark beans and white rice.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Cooking the rice in the bean liquid gives every grain a deep, savoury flavour, making it far more than a side dish.
💡 Fun Fact
Congrí is the star of the Cuban Christmas Eve feast, Nochebuena, served alongside a whole roast pig.
Eastern Cuba (Oriente)
20.02°N, -75.82°W
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