I have become a pro at preparing local chicken rice and beans food!
Here are my recipes:
Flavored Beans Costa Rica
900 gram bag of dried red or black beans
4-6 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 bay leaves (I did without before, but bay leaves add the BEST flavor)
1 small yellow onion, diced
Salt
Wash the beans well and remove any broken beans that you can see (I’m usually too lazy to remove the broken beans … I’m also too lazy to soak them overnight and prefer to put them on the stove to cook all day), Put the washed beans in a large pot (I don’t have a slow cooker or pressure cooker, I use a 12-quart pot). Add the aromatics (peeled garlic cloves, minced onion, bay leaves) and lastly add your water, add enough water to cover the beans and then a little bit (I add a lot of water, we like our beans a little thick, actually I add water 3-4 times during the cooking process because the water boils). Bring everything to a boil and stir occasionally, reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Then I let it simmer for 4-6 hours or until the beans are tender. When the beans are softer, but not quite done, I add the salt … usually a teaspoon or a little more (I don’t really like salt so add it to your liking).
Rice
1 teaspoon of oil
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups of water
salt to taste
I start by heating a small saucepan with a little oil (olive oil is expensive here so I use vegetable oil … I know … not the best for you), once my oils have the sizzling sound I add the rice and begin to stir immediately so that it does not burn. I coat the rice in oil and let it get a little toasted and immediately add the water and salt to taste. Bring the water to a boil, stir well and then reduce the heat to low and cover for about 10-15 minutes or until the water is gone. This ensures that your rise is not crunchy, but not too smooth either.
Freiser likes rice, beans and chicken on their own, I prefer mine in a bowl all mixed together … reminds me of my little Chipotle bowl! Feel free to add fresh pico and sliced avocado!
Enjoy!