From Josh
From a dorm room staple to a more elevated weekday standby, this dish has been evolving with us for a long time. It now contains some authenticity atop its collegiate roots, but it comes together quickly (make the beans while the rice cooks) and is a healthy, nourishing, cheap and flavorful option, especially for lunch. Doubles easily.
30 Minutes
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side
2/3 cup white rice
1/3 chicken bouillon cube
1 tbsp neutral oil, butter, or lard (whichever you prefer)
1/2 yellow or white onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1-2 chipotles in adobo* with about 1 tbsp sauce (the chiles control the heat. adjust to taste, but don’t skimp on the sauce)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 14.5 Oz. can low-sodium black beans
1/2 lime
salt (or Sazon Adobo**) and black pepper to taste
To Serve:
a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
the other half of the lime, in segments
shredded sharp cheddar cheese
In the basin of a rice cooker or instant pot, rinse the rice in cool water, swirl it around, and strain thouroughly to remove excess starch. Add bouillon to 3/4 cup of warm water and break it apart, then add to rice and cook.
In the meantime, heat the fat in a medium skillet on medium until shimmering. Add the onions and cook with a pinch of salt and some pepper until translucent. They don’t need any color - about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic, chilis in adobo, cumin and oregano and combine until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the beans and their juice, scraping to deglaze. If all the liquid boils off quickly, add a few tablespoons of water. Reduce to a bare simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has gotten thick enough that it just flows in the pan. Season to taste with salt (or Sazon adobo) and pepper and a small squeeze of the half lime.
Once the rice has cooked and rested in the cooker for a few mintes, juice the rest of the half lime into the rice, fluff, and serve with a generous ladle of beans and their sauce on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro, sharp cheddar, and lime segments.
* Note: The use of the word “adobo” can be a little confusing in Latin American cooking. With “Chipotles in adobo,” we refer to canned, smoked jalapeños in a tomato-ey sauce - an important flavor for this recipe which is luckily pretty ubiquitos in stores with an “international” aisle and is guaranteed at any mexican grocery. In a sealed container, these will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
** “Sazon Adobo,” confusingly, is a seasoning along the lines of seasoned salt which is ubiquitous (especially the one made by Goya) in many Latin American kitchens. It contains many of the flavors already in this recipe, but turns them up. It is less common to find in American groceries, but is almost always available at Mexican groceries, and one container lasts a long time.
