Costa Rican Refried Rice & Beans (Vegan Recipe)

Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) is on Monday and I wanted to post a quick and easy recipe to make on that day. I found this recipe in Viva Vegan cookbook that fits the bill perfectly. If you have cooked rice and beans, then this recipe is a breeze to make.

Each Latin American country has its own version of Rice and beans. In Costa Rica and Nicaragua, it is called Gallo Pinto -- which literally means 'painted rooster'. It is a delicious mix of precooked rice, beans that are refried with extra vegetables, herbs and spices.

This dish can be made with either precooked white or brown rice. Black beansm small red benas or even pink beans can be used. This is a dish where the bean-cooking liquid is very important to the final dish, it gives the refried rice and beans the proper color flavor and consistency. So make sure that you save that bean cooking liquid.

Ingredients: Serves 1~2

White or Brown Rice - 1cup, cooked

Black or Red or Pink Beans - 1cup, cooked

Onion - 1small, finely chopped

Garlic - 2cloves, minced

Green Chili - 1 small, minced (optional)

Red Pepper - 1 medium, seeded and finely diced (I left it out, since I didn't have any)
Bean Cooking liquid or Vegetable broth - ¼tsp 

Ground Cumin - ½tsp
Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce - 2tsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Cilantro - 3tbsp, finely chopped

Method:

• In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 2tbsp olive oil and garlic over medium heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the onion, chili and bell pepper. Saute for 6~8 minutes or until the veggies are soft.
• Stir in the rice and fry for 7~8 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Then add the ground cumin, beans, bean-cooking liquid, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Stir frequently and mash the beans into the rice with the back of the spoon.
• Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed but the rice is still moistm about 10~12 minutes. If the mixture looks too dry, then drizzle 1~2tbsp of additional liquid to get the desired consistency.
• Stir in the chopped cilantro and remove from heat. Serve with hot sauce.

I served with a simple tomato-onion salsa.

Linking this to Valli's 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge: May -- Week 1'.

Linking this to this week's Fabulous Feast Friday# 13 being hosted by Sandhya & Mir.