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    Home » Recipes » Latin » Mami's Cuban Congri Recipe!

    Published: Dec 12, 2016 · Modified: Nov 24, 2022 by Cari · This post may contain affiliate links. · 17 Comments

    Mami's Cuban Congri Recipe!

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    This is my mom's Congri Recipe, it's white rice cooked with black beans and bacon. It makes for the perfect side dish to any Cuban meal or great on its own

    Bowl of congri rice

    This recipe is made using dry beans and is considered "old school" instead of using canned beans. This dish is a Noche Buena staple.

    The older I get, the more I realize I need to start learning my mom's recipes so I can someday pass them onto my son. So you can get used to more of my family's recipes posted onto my blog.

    Is it Moros or is it Congri?

    Much like the pop vs soda debate in the US, depending on what part of Cuba you're from dictates what you call this dish. I grew knowing it as Congri, however many people refer to this dish as Moros y Cristianos (moros for short) For the sake of avoiding snarky comments, I'll use the term congri and moros interchangeably throughout this post.

    What do you serve congri with?

    Congri is the perfect side dish to any cuban protein such as vaca frita, bistec de pollo or even lechon.

    Equipment

    For this recipe you'll need a casuela and a food processor.

    Ingredients

    Dry black beans
    Salt
    Bay Leaves
    Bacon
    Yellow Onions
    Green bell pepper
    Garlic
    Red pepper
    Black pepper
    Cumin
    Long grain rice
    Bean broth
    Olive oil
    Sazon completa

    Instructions

    Rinse the beans and place them in a casuela or dutch oven along with 8 cups water, 1 teaspoon of salt and the 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, partly cover and cook until tender, about 1 to 2 hours.

    Make your sofrito. Place the onion, garlic and green pepper into your food processor. Pulse until you reach your desired size. I personally hate giant chunks of green pepper and onion in my Congri, so I let the food processor run until they're minced.

    In a large frying pan add your sliced bacon, onion, garlic and green pepper. cook on medium-high heat until your veggies and bacon are completely cooked through.

    Drain the beans, reserving 3 cups of the broth or "black water" and being careful to not break apart the beans. Leave the cooked black beans in your casuela.

    Add to the casuela the olive oil, rinsed rice, red pepper, black pepper, Sazon completa, cumin, sofrito, "black water" and 1 ½ teaspoon of salt. 

    Bring to a boil, stir, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 -25 minutes until rice is cooked through.

    Variations

    • Vegetarian/vegan Congri, looking for a meatless option to this rice? Omit the bacon and adjust the salt to your preference and viola! Vegan/Vegetarian Congri
    • Don't own a food processor? Chop your onion, garlic and bell pepper as big or as small as your prefer

    Storage

    To store your moros rice, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate. The congri will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.

    Check out these other Cuban recipes

    • cuban vaca frita recipe
      Cuban Vaca Frita Recipe
    • Cuban bistec de pollo a la plancha
      Cuban bistec de pollo a la plancha
    • Papi's Cuban Mojo Lechon Recipe
    • bistec de palomilla
      Bistec De Palomilla
    Print Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Mami's Cuban Congri Recipe!

    Cuban Congri, black beans cooked with white rice and bacon
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time2 hrs 30 mins
    Total Time2 hrs 45 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: cuban
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 446kcal
    Author: Cari

    Ingredients

    • 14 oz. package of dry black beans
    • 2.5 teaspoon of salt adjust to taste
    • 2 Bay Leaves
    • 6 Slices of thick cut bacon cut into ½ inch pieces
    • 1 Medium sized yellow onion chopped
    • 1 Large green pepper chopped
    • 5 Large cloves of garlic
    • ¼ teaspoon of red pepper
    • ½ teaspoon of black pepper
    • 1.5 teaspoon of cumin
    • 2 Cups of long grain rice
    • 3 Cups of "black water"
    • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
    • ½ tablespoon Sazon completa

    Instructions

    • Rinse the beans and place them in a caldero along with 8 cups water, 1 teaspoon of salt and the 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, partly cover and cook until tender, about 1 to 2 hours.
    • Meanwhile, make your sofrito. Place the onion, garlic and green pepper into your food processor. Pulse until you reach your desired size. I personally hate giant chunks of green pepper and onion in my Congri, so I let the food processor run until they're minced.
    • In a large frying pan add your sliced bacon, onion, garlic and green pepper. cook on medium-high heat until your veggies and bacon are completely cooked through.
    • Drain the beans, reserving 3 cups of the broth or "black water" and being careful to not break apart the beans. Leave the cooked black beans in your caldero.
    • Grab your rice and rinse it. To rinse, place the rice in a large bowl, cover with water and swirl around. The water will get cloudy. Pour out the cloudy water, use a strainer to keep the rice from making a giant mess. Repeat until the water is clear.
    • Add to the caldero the olive oil, rinsed rice, red pepper, black pepper, Sazon completa, cumin, sofrito, "black water" and 1 ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, stir, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 -25 minutes.
    • Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Once the rice is tender, you're ready to eat!

    Notes

    • Looking for a meatless option to this rice? Omit the bacon and adjust the salt to your preference and viola! Vegan/Vegetarian Congri
    • Don't own a food processor? Chop your onion, garlic and bell pepper as big or as small as your prefer
    • To store your moros rice, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate. The congri will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 116mg | Potassium: 930mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 78IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @FatGirlHedonist or tag #fatgirlhedonist!
    « Cacao Nib Rice Krispie Treat Recipe
    Traditional Cuban Arroz Con Leche Recipe »

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    Categories: Latin

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lissete says

      December 12, 2016 at 5:23 pm

      You're lucky that you have recipes. My mami's recipe is "in poquito de esto, in chorrito de esto, etc." 🙂

      Reply
    2. fatgirlhedonist says

      December 12, 2016 at 5:24 pm

      My mom does the same thing! I have to shadow her while she cooks and write down everything!

      Reply
    3. Unknown says

      December 12, 2016 at 5:44 pm

      This sounds absolutely delicious! I can't wait to make it!

      Reply
      • Claudia says

        July 17, 2022 at 5:07 pm

        5 stars
        The flavor in this is absolutely spot on, but my texture came out a little mushy. I like congri really try. Did I leave too much water maybe? Any tips to make it dryer next time?

        Reply
    4. Unknown says

      December 12, 2016 at 5:46 pm

      This looks absolutely delicious! I can't wait to make it!

      Reply
    5. Kaizen Fashion Project says

      December 12, 2016 at 8:17 pm

      Leche Flan hands down.
      🙂

      Reply
    6. Jamie says

      December 12, 2016 at 11:22 pm

      My favorite thing about Noche Buena is the food! 😉
      Jamie | http://asassyspoon.com

      Reply
    7. AbsolutMiami says

      December 13, 2016 at 8:38 am

      Best thing for Noche Buena is Pig, Pork, Lechón, Chancho, Carne Puerco, ����

      Reply
    8. Unknown says

      December 13, 2016 at 12:48 pm

      I like to eat potato enchiladas with mole sauce!!!

      Reply
    9. Unknown says

      December 14, 2016 at 4:57 pm

      Congri,I've never made it, but I'm gonna try you recipe. Thanks for sharing it.

      Reply
    10. Tyneisha says

      December 14, 2016 at 11:16 pm

      I love to eat pupusas on Noche Buena!

      Reply
    11. AnnaZed says

      December 17, 2016 at 10:25 pm

      I'm in SoCal, and Noche Buena is a 'thing' here. My sister-in-law's mother (who is Mexican) makes the most divine Tamales ever all during December. The ones that I love just have vegetables in them.
      ******************
      {in the contest I am Margot C__ on the Rafflecopter}

      Reply
    12. 1froglegs says

      December 17, 2016 at 10:25 pm

      I like beef and chicken tamales.

      Reply
    13. Rusthawk says

      December 17, 2016 at 10:25 pm

      I'd love to try this recipe! I also love pork enchiladas and tamales with queso.

      Reply
    14. Unknown says

      January 04, 2017 at 3:38 pm

      I would like to make this recipe, however for the beans were they soaked in water 24 hours prior or were they pressure cooked?

      Reply
    15. Unknown says

      January 04, 2017 at 3:38 pm

      I'd like to try this recipe. I'd just like to confirm for the beans, were they soaked in water for 24 hours prior, or pressure cooked to soften?

      Reply
    16. fatgirlhedonist says

      January 04, 2017 at 3:40 pm

      No soaking needed! You can use the pressure cooker or bring to a boil then drop heat down to low for 2 hours til soft

      Reply

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    My name is Cari and I'm the person behind FatgirlHedonist.com. I'm born and raised in Miami (Hialeah if you'd like specifics) and proud Latina. I'm a single mom to a very curious toddler. I completed a culinary program in high school that made my love of food blossom, but my career went in a very different direction. No matter what turns my life has taken, cooking, baking and eating have always been three of my favorite activities. I'm lucky enough that I can have this blog as an outlet for those three passions.

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