I recently had a craving for some simple rice and beans. This is a staple in Mexico, Caribbean, Central America and South America. It is often an accompaniment or a main dish. Of course many of you know this, since many of you are from one of those places.
When I announced that I will be making rice and beans for dinner, it was not met with enthusiasm. I told Marc, that I really felt like having rice and beans.
He likes everything but I guess he wanted something more. He even offered to make dinner. I couldn't let him, as I am a little bit of a control freak, when it comes to the kitchen.
In order to satisfy my craving, I had to think on my feet. This would have to have some other items on the dish to elevate and make the rice and beans more interesting.
Although I like to use dried beans and soak them overnight, I didn't have time. I took a tour of some stores nearby and gather some items, starting with the Mexican grocer.
I have an abundance of Jasmine rice, so I chose to use that instead of buying a different rice.
Rice
6 cups cooked rice
Press into a mold of your choice. I chose a square pan so I could cut rectangles out.
I chose a bread pan because I wanted rectangles.
If you have something to weigh the rice down it's better but I couldn't find anything.
After you uncover the rice, gently cut out desired shape.
I ended up pressing it tight with my hands. I was afraid it would fall apart.
I chose to use a wok to fry the cakes. Someone threw it out on the sidewalk so I took it. The cakes were fried until they were crispy on the outside. They don't get golden fast so you have to be careful not to cook them too long. You want them to only crisp on the outside.
For the black beans I wanted to use most of them to make a sauce. I left around a cup to garnish at the end.
Black bean sauce
540 ml black beans
120g onion
25g garlic
400g vegetable broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1tsp cayenne or chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying
Saute the onions, then garlic and spices until golden. I used a little broth to deglaze.
Add most of the black beans reserving a cup or so.
Add the rest of the vegetable stock. Blend the bean mixture to a sauce consistency.
To add to the dish I chose some zucchini and chilies.
I got out my electric grill to grill the zucchini.
I originally wanted to add chilies to the black bean sauce but I thought it would be a little more fun to flour, bread and fry some for a garnish.
I used serrano peppers. They have a good kick of spice. My plan was to stuff them with something, but I didn't have anything.
I first coated them in a slurry of cornstarch, flour, a pinch of salt and baking powder and water to make it like a batter. After dipping each pepper into the slurry I coated it with bread crumbs that I had in the freezer from before.
At the Mexican grocer I saw plantains. I thought it would be another interesting garnish to the dish. I chose ripe ones to get a sweet flavor.
I have never used plantains as a fried garnish before. Only once a long time ago I fried some wedges.
They were not crisp at first but they got crispier after I took them out. I have much experimenting to do with plantains. I am always reminded of Cuba when I taste them. It was a magical moment at a restaurant where we had chicken, salad, and a side of golden fried plantains that were nicely seasoned.
Black beans in Cuba and other places south of me, often have ham or bacon added.
Fortunately, I have a store down the street and around the corner that specializes in vegan mock meat. They get it quite close in flavors. The company is called Paradise Vegan. I grabbed some vegan bacon which really has the flavours that I remember from bacon. It's been 18 years since I've had bacon. This is made from soy protein.
This doesn't have the same fat content as real bacon of course, so I fried it in little pieces to add to the black beans at the end. Marc tasted it and was surprised how much it reminded him of bacon. He also hasn't had it in 18 years.
To plate this, I put the rice cake first, then poured the sauce on the bottom without covering the rice. I sprinkled the reserved whole beans,and vegan bacon in the sauce. I placed the grilled zucchini on top of the rice. I also scooped a ball of avocado with a melon scoop then coated with sesame seeds. (It's difficult to see it at the top).
I didn't get the step by step photos, because I wanted it to remain hot.
Finally I placed the plantain at the top and a pepper at the side on top.
To accompany, I made a chayote slaw witha drizzle of oil and a squeeze of lime.
Marc forgot that he was having an ordinary bowl of rice and beans.
Thanks for dropping by and have a great day.
Photos taken with a Nikon D 7500 by me, except for the ones of me, taken by my other half.