Black beans and rice (congri)

Ingredients

• 250 g black beans
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed with a little salt
• 1 capsicum, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
• olive oil
• 2 cups long-grain rice, cooked
• 2½ cups water

Instructions

In a saucepan, cover the beans with water and add 3 bay leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour or until beans begin to soften. If you have a pressure cooker it will only take 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, pour off the water from the beans and set to one side.

Prepare the sofrito or sauce. Fry the onion and garlic in a little oil. Add the capsicum, cumin and mixed herbs.

Drain the water from the cooked beans into a jug and add water to make 2½ cups in total. Then add the sofrito, and cook for a further 5 minutes in the pressure cooker, or until the rice is cooked if using a stove.