Ingredients
Beans
- 250 gdried black beans, soaked overnight in 1.5 L water
- 1green bell pepper, halved
- 1bay leaf
- 1 tspcoarse salt
Sofrito and rice
- 3 tbsplard or olive oil
- 100 gsmoked pork belly, finely diced
- 1large onion, finely diced
- 1green bell pepper, finely diced
- 6garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tspground cumin
- 1 tbspdried oregano
- 2bay leaves
- 2 tbspdry white wine
- 1 tbspwhite wine vinegar
- 400 glong-grain white rice, rinsed until the water runs clear
- salt
Directions
- Simmer the soaked beans in their soaking water with the halved pepper and bay leaf for 60–90 minutes, until tender but still whole. Do not salt until the last 10 minutes or the skins toughen.
- Drain, reserving every drop of the black cooking liquor. Measure it and top up with water to exactly 800 ml. Discard the pepper halves.
- Render the diced pork belly in the lard in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat until the fat runs and the dice are gold, about 5 minutes.
- Add onion and diced pepper and cook 8–10 minutes until soft and sweet, then the garlic, cumin and oregano. Fry 1 minute, until the kitchen smells of cumin.
- Deglaze with the wine and vinegar and let them hiss away. The vinegar is what keeps the dish from tasting flat.
- Stir in the rinsed rice and coat every grain in the sofrito fat, 2 minutes, then add the beans, the 800 ml of black bean liquor, bay leaves and salt to taste.
- Bring to a hard boil, stir once, then cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes. Turn off and leave covered 10 minutes more.
- Fluff with a fork from the edges inwards. Every grain should be uniformly slate grey; that colour, from the bean liquor, is the point of the dish.
Technique
- Moros y cristianos means Moors and Christians: black beans and white rice cooked in one pot. If the rice is white and the beans are simply spooned over, that is arroz con frijoles, a different plate.
- The bean cooking liquor is the stock. Throwing it away and using water gives you speckled, bland rice.
- Rinse the rice here even though many pilafs do not: there is already starch coming from the beans, and unrinsed rice turns the pot gluey.
Substitutions
- No pork belly: use 3 tbsp olive oil alone and add 1 tsp smoked paprika to the sofrito for depth.
Variations
- Congri oriental: the same method with red kidney beans, the eastern Cuban version.
- Arroz moro finished with a strip of orange peel and a splash of sour orange stirred through.
History
Black beans and white rice, cooked together so the rice absorbs the beans’ dark colour and flavour, its name meaning literally Moors and Christians, a reference to the historic conflict between Muslim Moors and Catholic Christians in medieval Spain, with the dark beans and white rice symbolically representing the two opposing groups. Its Spanish-derived name reflects Cuba’s colonial Spanish heritage, layered onto an Afro-Caribbean culinary foundation built on rice and beans that draws heavily from West African cooking traditions brought to Cuba through the transatlantic slave trade. Moros y cristianos remains one of Cuba’s most essential and widely eaten side dishes, commonly served alongside roasted meats at both everyday and celebratory Cuban meals.
Frequently asked questions
What is Moros y cristianos?
Moros y cristianos is a salad & side from Cuba: black beans and rice cooked together. Black beans and white rice, cooked together so the rice absorbs the beans’ dark colour and flavour, its name meaning literally Moors and Christians, a reference to the historic conflict between Muslim Moors and Catholic Christians in medieval Spain, with the dark beans and white rice symbolically representing the two opposing groups. Its Spanish-derived name reflects Cuba’s colonial Spanish heritage, layered onto an Afro-Caribbean culinary foundation built on rice and beans that draws heavily from West African cooking traditions brought to Cuba through the transatlantic slave trade. Moros y cristianos remains one of Cuba’s most essential and widely eaten side dishes, commonly served alongside roasted meats at both everyday and celebratory Cuban meals.
How long does Moros y cristianos take to make?
Moros y cristianos takes 20 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 2 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Moros y cristianos?
Yes, within limits. No pork belly: use 3 tbsp olive oil alone and add 1 tsp smoked paprika to the sofrito for depth.
What is the most important thing to get right in Moros y cristianos?
Simmer the soaked beans in their soaking water with the halved pepper and bay leaf for 60–90 minutes, until tender but still whole. Do not salt until the last 10 minutes or the skins toughen.
