Moro is a mixture of rice, beans and vegetables. This is one of the most common dishes on the Dominican table. We are presenting here a generic recipe in which you can use either black beans, white beans, faba beans, butter beans or green pigeon peas in place of the red kidney beans.
Dominicans are not the only ones to serve rice and beans, or to make moro, in fact this dish seems to exist in different incarnations in several Caribbean and Latin American nations.
Of course each country has its own flavor and combination of ingredients, just like each household in the Dominican Republic probably has its own version of this dish, but the general concept remains the same.
Take for example Cuba. The Cuban counterpart of this popular Dominican dish bears the name, “moros y cristianos” or Christians and Moors (a reminder of colonial times sensibilities) as it is still known in Cuba. It was shortened to moro in the Dominican Republic.
In Haiti it is known as “ris et pois”, and prepared with fewer ingredients than the Dominican one. In Jamaica it is known as “rice and peas”.
The addition of thyme to this version is owed to the fact that this is a very common ingredient in beans recipes in the Northwest DR, where I hail from.
Buen provecho!
Aunt Clara
- 5 tablespoons of oil , divided
- 1 teaspoon of finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon mashed garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon of dry thyme leaves , or a 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup of chopped celery
- 1/8 cup of sliced pitted olives (optional)
- 1 pinch of oregano
- 1/4 cup of diced cubanela (cubanelle) peppers
- 1/8 cup of capers (optional)
- 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
- 2 cups of soft-boiled or canned kidney beans
- 2 teaspoons of salt (or more, to taste)
- 5 cups water
- 4 cups of rice
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Heat half the oil (2.5 Tbsp) in an iron pot over low heat and add cilantro, garlic, thyme, celery, olives, oregano, cubanela, capers. Cook and stir for a minute, or until the ingredients release their aroma. Stir in the tomato sauce.
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Add beans, also while stirring, add season with salt. Once heated through, add water and bring to the boil (try the mixture and add salt to taste before proceeding, bear in mind that the rice will absorb some of the salt, so don't low-ball it).
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Stir in the rice and simmer stirring frequently to avoid excessive sticking. Make sure to remove the rice that sticks to the bottom.
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When the water has evaporated cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer over very low heat for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes have passed uncover, add the remaining oil and stir.
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Cover again another 5 minutes. After this the rice should be firm but tender inside. If necessary, cover and leave another 5 minutes over very low heat (if at this point it looks too dry add 1/4 cup of boiling water before stirring and covering.
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Serve with meat, (or seafood), a side dish and salad.
If you boil the beans yourself use the water in which they boiled in place of (or partially) the 6 cups of water called for in the recipe. If you use canned beans throw away the liquid in which they came in the can and use fresh water. The liquid in the can is loaded with sodium and doesn't taste very well.
Hi, In step 4, you say to cover and cook for 15 minutes, then “wait 15 minutes” – is this an additional 15 minutes? If yes, heat on or off? Or is it 15 minutes with lid on, then the additional 5 minutes from step 5?
Thanks!
I have re-written that step to make it clearer, it’s the same 15 minutes.
Do you drain the beans?
At what step?
Hi, is it possible to make this dish in a rice cooker?
I have never owned one. 🙂
Yes, but trust me, it’s easier to do on the stove, because the rice cooker is timed and in the end takes longer.
Would you be so kind and recommend a good rice pot. It’s ok if you want to avoid brands I just need to know the make so I can google.
Any cast iron, preferably cured, or cast aluminum pot will work.
When you add the canned red kidney beans do you drain it?
Yes. The liquid it comes in, in my opinion, doesn’t have a good taste.
Do you use yellow rice or do the seasonings turn the white rice yellow?
It turns that color with all the ingredients. We use long grain (Carolina) rice in all our recipes, except where noted.
I love this website it has helped me a lot in cooking Dominican style dishes however is the tomillo necessary ? I found the scent was a bit too strong I used dried thyme.
No, it isn’t necessary, I suppose, it’s how we do it in my family and region.
no paper bag between the lid and pot? That is the secret ingredient!
No, I have a good pot. 🙂
Hi. Thanks for the great advice but I have a confusing question. I just spent 9 days in the DR and every day the beans had an orange/yellow vegetable mixed in, chopped in squares. I don’t find anything about it in any Dominican bean recipes. Can you tell me what it is?
It was probably auyama (West Indian pumpkin).
I need the recipe serving size for 9 people please and thank you
Valerie, I have only tested this recipe. I’d rather not give you information that I haven’t tested, sorry.
Too much*.
What if i put a bit too mich oil and it is still wet and oily? What can i do to fix it up?
Not much you can do about that, if is already finished. Unless it’s soaked in oil it will still be edible.
Pero que receta mas rica! Tengo que hacerla, y mas de las que a puesto en su blog; muchas gracias por compartir. Ayer hice Moros Y Cristianos al estilo de La Republica, y me salieron per exquisitos- alguin me dio una receta para el sofrito Dominicano, que use. Pero, ahora quiero probar la suya con frijoles rojos. Trabajo con una senorita Dominicana, y me dijo que se hace en La Republica Moros y Cristianos con frijoles negros tambien. No se, nunca he viajado a ese pais. En fin, si desea ver mi elaboracion del plato, lo puede ver en mi canal de YT, Rivet Gardener, con el enlace asi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3yd7bc34wA&feature=c4-overview&list=UULxnWmBi4Sah0mmJlm6pnZA
Muchas gracias por su Blog, me encanto!
-Juan (Rivet)
I would like to use this recipe for a school project, but if I can’t find cubanelle peppers what should I substitute it for? And is the rice instant, or actual rice? If actual can I use wheat rice? Thanks for sharing your recipes I can’t wait to try them.
You can use bell peppers. And you need regular long-grain rice.
When I was in the Dominican Republic my host family made me La Bandera Dominicana with a shredded chicken side dish that I mixed with the rice. The chicken was fabulous and tasted like it was cooked in salsa and some herbs. Do you know of any chicken recipe like this?
Is there a receipe for less servings?
No, you would have to adapt it yourself.
I’ve made it dividing each ingredient by 2 and it worked just as well:
2 cups rice
1 cup beans (~1/2 can)
3 cups water
2.5 T oil
1 T tomato paste
2 T cubanelle peppers
1 pinch oregano
1/4 minced garlic
1 T capers
1 T sliced olives
2 T chopped celery
1/2 t cilantro
1/4 t dry thyme
1/2 cube of bouillon (I put in one whole bouillon cube and omitted the salt)
1/2 t salt
I usually don’t comment on recipes, but I just made this and it was delicious. I’ve made/had rice and beans dishes before which have come out tasty but goopy and soupy. This came out as beautiful tasty individual tender grains of rice. Great recipe!
Nothing worse than goopy rice and beans. Thanks for letting me know about your experience. What will you try next?
I made the cocadas shortly afterwards and they were also delicious. https://www.dominicancooking.com/855-cocadas-coconut-cupcakes.html
I also made this rice and bean recipe again (this time for my boyfriend) and he loved it as well!
Rice and beans or (red beans & rice as Creoles call it) can be find throughout the Americas from African descendants everywhere. I love this recipe you have posted. I think every country has a tasteful spin on this classic dish.
Yes, each country has its own version, and I have to say I haven’t met one I didn’t like yet.
in this recipe, you say to have 5 tblspns of oil but to only add 2.5 tblspns of oil at the beginning to make el sofrito. When do you pour the other 2.5 bec i didnt see where that goes?
opps just saw that lol nvm
ok so wut do u eat that with? im mexican, my hubbie is dominican and we use our rice as a side dish. but i want 2 please him and wut better department then his belly 🙂 please help
There's almost always a serving suggestion at the end of each recipe. Just check the corresponding category or recipe and choose something you like.
Good luck!
do you know of a recipe consisting of beans rice and meat.I believe it is prepared seperate but added together
Read about La Bandera Dominicana at the bottom of this article.
Is there any kind of dominican sauce or dressing to put on this?
I had to make several Dominican Republic dishes for a Spanish project and I made them using your recipies. I just wanted to say the meal turned out fabulous and it was delicious! Thanks soo much! 🙂