Jamaican Black Bean Pot (main meal, vegetarian/vegan, gluten- and lactose-free)

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Black Bean pot with extra cream

Jamaican Black Bean Pot is a simple blend of black bean stew, white rice and Jamaican salsa that contains an ideal combination of carbohydrate-rich, protein-rich and nutrient-rich foods. Is naturally gluten-free and lactose-free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. The salsa is also raw food and can be used as such independently. The same dish can be upgraded to meat dish by combining the beans with a good Jamaican or non Jamaican sausage and/or a piece of ham.

While I call this a Jamaican dish, black beans eaten with rice and salsas are a typical staple meal in most of Latin America. Among the most famous (meaty) black bean stew is Brazilian Feijoada.

Ingredients

(for 4 people)

400 g of black beans

to be downsized when a meaty variant is prepared so that the final amount of protein is balanced
the dried black beans can be likewise substituted by canned beans and I would suggest 3-4 tins

250 g of white rice

can be substituted also by other grains and types of rice

1-2 avocados

3-4 tomatoes

1-2 pepper orange bell pepper

1-2 small red pepper chillies

1-2 medium scallions

1 lemon

freshly ground black pepper

whole grain black pepper

sea salt

bay leaves

fresh coriander

extra virgin olive oil

kombu seaweed (option)

onion, garlic (option)

sweet paprika and oregano (option)

tomato puree/canned tomatoes (option)

Equipment needed

A large pot for soaking and cooking the beans

Additional pot for cooking the rice (or alternatively a rice cooker or a rice steamer)

a glass bowl

cutting board and a sharp knife

salt and pepper mills

wooden spoon

Preparation Time

12 hours soaking
1-2 hours cooking
15 minutes blending

Instructions

Beans

Soak the black beans (if dry) for at least 12 hours, preferably overnight
If possible, rinse the beans more times washing them in cold water, which would remove purins that cause flatulence :)
In a large pot, cook the beans in clean water for 1-2 hours until you are satisfied with the softness
You may add kombu for the duration of cooking in order to cut down the cooking time and enrich the beans with nutrients
Add 3-5 bay leaves and whole black pepper

Rice

In the meantime cook the rice in a separate pot or in a rice cooker
Rinse the rice and put it into a pot with water (ratio 1:2)
Add a pinch of salt and cook until the rice is soft, roughly 15-20 minutes after the boiling point. Normally the rice will be stewed enough.
If necessary, add extra water and stir, but stirring is usually not necessary
After cooking, leave the rice to rest for 5-10 minutes

Salsa

While the beans and the rice are bubbling on the stove, wash the tomatoes, peppers, scallions, chillies, avocadoes and lemon.
Remove the seeds from the pepper and the chillies and the skin and the stone from the avocadoes
Cut the pepper, the chillies, the avocadoes and the tomatoes into small cubes (the smaller the cuter the salsa) and mix in the bowl.
Add scallions cut into thin rings and the juice from lemon (depending on your preferences the amount will be 1/2 to 1 lemon)
Season with freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, extra virgin olive oil and fresh coriander leaves
Mix well into a salsa. You can also use blender to make the salsa extra smooth

Variants

Dice sausage and/or ham
If you wish, wash peel and dice likewise one onion and two or three garlic cloves
On a small amount of oil, fry the onion until glassy (2-3 minutes)
Add sweet paprika, oregano, black pepper, sea salt and garlic and pan for additional 1-2 minutes
Add sausage and/or ham and fry for 5 minutes
Add ready to eat beans (either cooked according to instructions above or tinned and pan for 5 more minutes
If you wish, you may add small amount of tomato puree or canned tomatoes

This bean and sausage/ham mix is a meaty equivalent of pure beans