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Arroz congrí is Cuban cooking. This mixture of black beans and white rice is a simple yet non-negotiable staple for every Cuban homecook we know and those who love their food.
We asked Patty Morrell-Ruiz, aka Chef Patty of The Mad Table, one of our favorite Cuban cooks, to show us how she makes her legendary congri. Always so generous, Patty gave us a congri cooking lesson, something’s she pretty good at: Chef Patty teaches at Miami Culinary Institute, in addition to offering kids cooking classes in her Miami home. She likes to use a pressure cooker, to save time and keep all the sabor, she told us. If you’re not the pressure cooker type, Patty also offers easy directions on how to make congri the traditional way, in a stock pot or olla (see her recipe notes, below).
“To be Cuban is to eat congri,” explains Patty. “Congri is important to me because it is a Cuban staple and it connects me to my roots. My grandmother always made it for Sunday lunch to serve with her lechon asado and yuca con mojo. Yum!”
If you’ve not tasted it, here’s the Cliff Notes on congri. “Congri is a Cuban rice dish that is loaded with flavor. It is made with black beans that are cooked together with white rice, sofrito, spices and bacon.” This dish reflects Cuba’s heritage as a Spanish colony. The Spaniards may have left in 1898, but congri stayed, as did its Old World nickname. “Congri is also known as Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians),” says Patty. “The name reflects the historical conflict between Muslims and Christians in Spain. The black beans represent the Moors, and the white rice represents the Christians.” Los españoles brought the ingredients to the New World with them and the dish caught on in Cuba, but not in nearby Puerto Rico or Dominican Republic, who were also Spanish colonies. Cuba’s Caribbean neighbors have their own signature rice and beans combos, using other kinds of habichuelas. (Typically red or pink in Puerto Rico and red or roman in the D.R.)
Who taught Patty how to make this family recipe? “I originally learned to make it from my dad in my early 20s, and then years later I kind of merged Dad’s recipes with some of my mother-in-law’s tips.”
How often does she make it these days, during her busy mom and working life in Miami? ”I make congri any time I need a perfect side dish (it goes great with Cuban lechon, chicken, and steak). And ALWAYS on Nochebuena (December 24). This dish feeds a crowd. It’s just not a Cuban feast without a cazuela of aroz congri on the table!”
For more of Chef Patty’s Cuban cooking, check out her Cuban pollo a la chorrera the winner of our arroz con pollo food fight and her chorizo and black bean dip, the perfecto party app or game-day snack.
Ready to Make Chef Patty’s Arroz Congri?
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