The first time I had Caribbean rice and beans was in a bohemian village. The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica is full of foods and flavors you just don’t find in the Central Valley. My first semester as a study abroad student here, I took a weekend vacation that landed me in Puerto Viejo, a beach town full of dreadlocked Bob Marley groupies and heaping plates of coconutty rice and beans served alongside whole fried fish- eyes intact.
Once the initial what-did-I-get-myself-into shock wore off, I fell in love with Caribbean food, especially the simple and spicy rice and beans that partners exceptionally well with almost any protein- even fish that stare back at you.
This past week I came across a typical recipe and made it twice. That’s right, twice in a matter of days. My husband doesn’t do spicy, so we left out the chili pepper lest I scarf down the entire pot by myself, and even without the kick of chili, it was still spectacular. If you’re longing for Caribbean cuisine at home, you’ve got to try these rice and beans!
- ½ c. dried red beans
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 Panamanian hot chili pepper (or other hot chili)
- 2 c. white rice
- 1 c. coconut milk
- 3 c. water
- 1 bunch thyme, or ½ tsp. dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- Rinse beans and soak them overnight in enough water to measure 3" above the beans.
- Drain beans.
- Boil beans and garlic in 3 cups of water. Cook until beans are softened, approximately 45 minutes to one hour.
- Add coconut milk, salt and pepper to taste, whole chili, and thyme to the beans. Cook 10 more minutes. Remove chili and drain beans, reserving liquid. Set beans aside.
- Rinse the rice under cool water until water runs clear. Pour rice into pot and measure out the bean cooking liquid. Add water to make 3 cups, add 1 tsp. salt, and bring rice to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to low and cook until softened and all liquid is absorbed.
- Mix rice and beans together. Check for seasoning. Serve alongside fish, chicken, or beef.
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I looooooove Caribbean food. The rice and beans are some of the more flavorful I’ve ever tried. Looks so good, Jelli!
Thank you, Amy! I love Caribbean food too, and it’s been at least 5 years since I’ve actually ventured to that side of the country. Saddest part is, it’s only a few hours away. Time for a vacay, I suppose 🙂 Thank you so much for stopping by to love on my recipe.
Yum! Looks fabulous, Jelli! I haven’t had much Carribean food, but I do like rice and beans ;). I used to hate coconut milk. Now it’s my pantry staple. Thanks for the recipe!! Can’t wait to make this soon. Hope you have a blessed week!
Thank you for posting this! I lived in Costa Rica in the late nineties, and I loved the food. Will definitely try to make this one!
Hope you love it, Katie! By the way things change here every year, you’d probably hardly recognize Costa Rica now. Thank you for stopping by.
My friend, as a Tica, we call that “Gallo Pinto”. Enjoy the fruitful living!!
Lena, I love gally pinto too! Pinto generally includes cilantro, onions, sweet peppers and salsa Lizano. This dish is the coconut infused Limón staple “rice and beans” rather than pinto. I love them both, but they are quite different. Thank you so much for coming by to visit.
Very true, both are good dishes but yes are very different though both include the ingredients rice and beans! I’m going to try to make this today, I live across the street from Soda Lidia’s Place but i’m going to give them a break today 😉
Sounds great, Katie! I actually just made this month’s menu plan and rice & beans is definitely on there. Let me know how you like it!
It didn’t go well. My husband stabbed his hand trying to get the coconut out of the shell after he had opened it with a sharp knife. We don’t have a butter knife, what a mistake. The knife went through the shell into his palm and he had to have surgery to repair his tendon today. What an experience. Will try soon though because a) we already have enough coconut out of the shell b) I again ate at a soda (across the street from the hospital today) & guess what I had… Rice and beans con pollo and it was really good and had Panamanian pepper visible in the sauce from the chicken on the rice, it was really flavorful and delicious! And that’s it! It’s my favorite and that’s
c) it’s my favorite!
Goodness, I’m SO sorry to hear about your husband’s hospital visit! For this recipe I’ve typically just bought a can of coconut milk but when I have made the coco milk myself I usually wrap a coconut (that’s already been drained) in a towel and bash it into big chunks with a hammer. It’s much easier to get the meat out that way. I can usually do it with only a little help from a butter knife. Gosh, Katie, I’m glad some good (a plateful of yum!) came out of the experience even if it was soda-made. If you lived in the Central Valley (if you do, email me!) I’d be happy to make it for you and invite you and your hubs over for dinner!
My husband is really looking forward to trying this tonight…just one question: after boiling the beans in the three cups of water, do you discard the water before adding the coconut milk?
Thanks!
You keep the bean water in the pot along with the coconut milk. Most of the water will be absorbed before the coconut milk goes in, but it’s actually better to have more liquid since you’ll be using it to cook the rice. It makes the rice tastier to cook it in the bean broth and coconut milk. Hope you love it. Be sure to come back and tell me what you think!
Looks delicious!! I love trying new foods, and these are on the list. Thank you so much for sharing with us at Best of the Weekend. Pinned to our party board. 🙂
Great, Lisa! Thank you so much for stopping by to love on my recipe. Hope you love it.
This looks amazing! I have everything to make it and I love anything Caribbean! Yum!
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Perfect! Hope you give it a go soon, Jaime. It’s quite tasty and fairy easy to put together. The hardest part is having the patience to wait for the beans to soften. Have a great week and come by again soon!
I’ve tried other people’s rice and beans a number of times at gatherings and they taste so good but never made them myself. Now I know the secret! Thanks 🙂
I hope you go ahead and give the recipe a try, Jennifer! This recipe is very basic, as the Costa Ricans like it. It’s delish but definitely a side dish and not an entreé. Thank you for stopping by!
I can hardly wait to make this recipe. I love Puerto Viejo and I miss the rice and beans with a tasty protein! Pinning the recipe to try very soon!
Thank you for stopping by, Jennifer. There aren’t too many people who’ve tried Tico rice and beans who actually comment on my recipes. I’d love to hear what you think of the dish once you’ve tried it. Have a great week!
This is one of my favorite dishes! Totally going to try it!
I love that you make this with coconut milk. This would taste delicious with Escovitch Fish http://caribbeanfood.com/recipes/escovitch-fish
Thank you for the sugggestion, Tonya! I have never heard of Escovitch fish but will definitely be googling it. Have a fantastic week.