Arroz Congri (Cuban Rice and Black Beans)

Arroz congri is a staple in every Cuban household. I grew up eating this flavorful rice and bean combo. I love being able to make this dish now in my own home and it has quickly become a weekly staple.

My husband loves Cuban food and his favorite rice dish is arroz congri. Most of the time we go to my parents’ home, and my mom makes arroz congri for us. He loved it so much that I had to try making it at home for him.

When I first asked my mom for help making this like most Cuban moms she told me to add “un poquito” of this and “un tin” of that. So it was a struggle trying to find out what “un poquito” meant to say the least. Of course, this will never be like mami’s, but it comes pretty dang close if you ask me!

If you haven’t tried arroz congri before check out this recipe. I am so excited to share this authentic recipe with you and hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 

Ingredients:

Here are the ingredients needed:

• Black beans
• Rice
• Bay leaves
• Sofrito

If you’ve had Cuban food then you know that sofrito is the key to almost every authentic Cuban dish. I make mine differently depending on what it is that I’m cooking. This sofrito is made with onions, garlic, bell pepper, cumin, and oregano. It gives the congri a punch of flavor.

A secret mami shared is adding a small splash of vinegar when cooking the rice. If you don’t like vinegar don’t worry you don’t taste it in the finished product, but it gives congri a bit of acidity that balances out all the flavors.

Substitutions:

I like to keep this recipe plant-based when I make it, but if you want to switch it up try using bacon in your sofrito! Just dice up a couple of slices of bacon and place it in a cold pan. As the pan heats up the fat will render off the bacon and can be used in the sofrito instead of the olive oil.

No fresh garlic? No problem! I swapped fresh garlic for pre-minced garlic to save time with this recipe! However, I would not substitute for garlic powder since the garlic is needed for the sofrito.

How to Make This Arroz Congri

The first thing you want to do when making arroz congri is throw your beans in your pressure cooker or instant pot. Put two cups of beans, 5 cups of water, and 4 bay leaves in your pressure cooker or instant pot then cook for 9 minutes. You will want to release the pressure right after the beans finish cooking so they don’t get overcooked. If they’re overcooked get too mushy in your congri.

While the beans are cooking dice one onion, ¼ of a green bell pepper, and mince 5 cloves of garlic. I like to use my dutch oven for these next steps, but any large pot will work. Heat the pot to medium heat then toss in some olive oil (or bacon). Once the oil is hot saute your onions and garlic. Make sure not to burn the garlic. Once the onion and garlic are nice and fragrant add in cumin, oregano, salt, and the green bell pepper. Throw in your washed rice then mix together with the sofrito. Make sure to toast the rice! 

Once the beans finish cooking, we can add the liquid remaining in our instant pot to the rice and sofrito mixture. In this recipe, we are cooking 3 cups of rice, so add 3.5 cups of liquid from the cooked beans. Remember to remove the bay leaves! If you do not have enough liquid in the pressure cooker from the beans, it is okay to add water. Now is the time to add the splash of vinegar as well.

Boil the rice for about 5 minutes at medium heat, mixing to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of your pot. Afterward, place aluminum foil and the lid on top of your pot. Once the lid is on, keep the temperature low and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the water has evaporated.

After the rice is cooked, mix in the black beans with your rice. Serve up your arroz congri with yucca, plantains, and pork for a truly authentic Cuban meal!