Recipes
Moros Y Cristianos (Honduran Beans and Rice)
James Beard: Best Chef South 2024 semifinalist Melissa Araujo is chef/owner of Alma Cafe in New Orleans, where she blends classic Honduran flavors with Louisiana's bounty. This dish translates to "Moors and Christians," and is served not just in Latin America, but in many parts of the American South.
Ingredients
2 cups jasmine rice
4 cups coconut cream
2 cups red pinto beans
2 oz. oregano
2 oz. chives
2 Tbsps. butter
For beans and cooking process:
1 bag/2 lbs. pinto beans
6 cups chicken stock or water
1 whole red bell pepper
1 whole green bell pepper
1 whole yellow bell pepper
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch cilantro
3 bay leaves
salt, to taste
cumin, to taste
1 celery stalk
Steps
- Soak two pounds of dry pinto beans in a pot of 6 cups of water overnight.
- The next day, drain and then add 6 new cups of water or chicken stock to the pot.
- Bring to a boil and cook them for one hour, stirring frequently. Be careful not to let the beans dry out completely.
- You can add 1 cup of water or stock if beans are absorbing the water too quickly. Keep an eye on them. You can remove a few beans from the pot and squish them with the back of a spoon to make sure they have softened.
- After softening the beans for one hour, transfer 2 cups to a pot with a cup of its cooking liquid and add 2 cups of coconut cream. Let the beans soak with the coconut milk for 10 minutes and just keep the heat low.
- Cook the rice according to directions on the bag.
- In a medium-sized pot, over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter, one ounce of garlic, and 2 ounces of fresh oregano, and the chives; saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the cooked rice and mix everything well. Add the beans and mix togetherl. Add remaining coconut cream – to taste – and mix until well incorporated.