Bring a taste of Cuba to your household with this delicious pork free version of moros y cristianos (black beans and rice), made using nutritionally dense brown rice instead of white rice and fresh black beans to yield that signature dark coloured rice. Paired with some oven baked mojo chicken to make a complete meal.

Now it's time to tap into my Cuban side with this wonderful dish made with brown rice.

Before you cringe at the thought of using whole grain rice, let me give you the good news. My recipe will provide you with the same texture as white rice but with MORE nutritional value.

what is moros y cristianos?

In short moros represents the black muslims, "the moors" while "cristianos" is in reference to the white christians.

It is said that the dish is named after the conflict between the Moors and the Christians as a means of both cultures coming together in unison.

The dishes origins trace back to the 16th century, the period where the Spanish colonised the island.

The Spanish brought African slaves to Cuba to work on the sugar plantation and part of the staple diet was black beans.

On the other hand, the Spanish would consume lots of white rice and this as this was a staple food for them.

Both cultural groups influenced this wonderful Cuban dish that is very popular on the island.

The dish is typically made with onion, garlic and bell peppers (usually green) to form the foundation/base which is known as sofrito.

Pork is also added to the dish too, be it bacon or ham (usually along with the first ingredients) and then other ingredients such as black beans, white rice, bay leaves seasoning (oregano and cumin, black pepper and pink salt).

Some people add their own additional ingredients but the above is very much how it is made.

Congri vs moros

There appears to be a lot of confusion and mislabelling of this dish. Just for the sake of clarity, arroz con frijoles, moros y cristianos (aka moros) and congri are all different.

Arroz con frijoles is when the beans and rice are cooked in the same pot instead of being cooked individually.

Congri, now this one is debated, congri is actually a very similar dish using red beans instead of black beans.

This dish is traditionally eaten on the Eastern side of Cuba, but it isn't uncommon for some people to refer to moros y cristianos as congri.

Ultimately, what it is called, is really a matter of where you were raised and what your family referred to it as.

Don't be alarmed if you see the term congri thrown around along side moros y cristianos.

Is moros y cristianos the same as rice and peas (peas and rice)?

Cuban black beans and rice differs from how it is prepared in places such as Barbados, Grenada, Haiti albeit a French colony and Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis and other English speaking islands.

The brown rice version

My rendition of the recipe uses wholesome

Place the chicken in a large bowl and proceed to season the chicken thighs with the sazon seasoning.

Pour the mojo marinade over the chicken (baste it a few times) and cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and uncover it.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.

Remove the chicken from the bowl, scrap off and excess garlic/onions (reserve the marinade) and transfer it into a large oven proof dish.

Oven bake the chicken until golden brown until it becomes golden brown (this should take about 30 minutes). As soon as it is browned pour the reserved marinade into the bowl with the chicken and continue to bake for another 15 minutes, basting the chicken occasionally.

Once the chicken has baked, set it aside and reserve the excess liquid to use when serving.

Steps 9-12 adding the black beans and rice

While the chicken is being baked, make your moros.

Preheat a large deep non stick frying pan or skillet with olive oil.

Saute the onion, garlic and green pepper until they are soft and transculent.

Add the seasoning - sazon, cumin, oregano, black pepper, pink salt and bay leaves.

Pour in the black beans, brown rice and the water then stir.

Bring the pan to a rolling boil.

Cover with a lid then reduce to simmer on medium-low heat for up to an hour. Keep an eye on the liquid levels, the amound stated should be enough, but you may need to add more (do this ¼ cup at a time) if you reach almost an hour and rice isn't soft enough.

Steps 13-16 cooking the rice and chicken

10 minutes before the cooking time is over, do a taste test and add more pink salt and black pepper, if required.

Place the baked chicken on top of the rice, cover and leave to heat through for the remaining 10 minutes.

Serve accordingly, discard the bay leaves and drizzle the rice and chicken with any leftover liquid.

Notes and tips

Don't over saturate the rice as it will result in being a sticky mess.

This link entitled "How to Fix Rice" should assist you, should you experience any problems with slightly over saturated rice.

This recipe and the liquid ratio is strictly for BROWN BASMATIC RICE ONLY NOT WHITE RICE.

This is the link to the Mojo Marinade and Sazon Seasoning that you will need.

The colour of the rice will vary from light brown to a deeper hue, depending on whether or not you used dried or canned beans.

For best results, I highly recommend using dried black beans that have been soaked and cooked ahead of time with the water from the beans.

If you are using canned black beans, make sure it is water NOT SALT WATER!! and don't throw away the bean water, use it to make up 3 cups worth of water.

Any leftovers can be refrigerated for no more than 24 hours or alternatively freeze both the chicken and the rice for up to 3 months.

If you struggle to digest brown rice then it is best to soak the brown rice in lime juice overnight to help ease digestion.

For an authentic dark hue, use dried beans instead of canned beans.

Rice, chicken thigh, cucumber and tomatoes on a grey plate.

More Cuban recipes you may like

Instant Pot Moros y Cristianos

Cuban Black Bean Soup

Yuca Con Mojo

Cuban Picadillo

Air Fryer Yuca Fries

Sopa de Platano Verde

Mojo Marinade

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