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    Moro de Habichuelas (Rice with Beans)

    Moro: rice and beans.
    Moro de habichuelas (simple rice and beans) recipe.

    En Español Recipe ↆ

    Moro de Habichuelas (Dominican Rice and Beans) is one of the most common dishes on the Dominican table, and you can modify it by using other types of beans.

    Moro de habichuelas (rice with beans) recipe.
    Moro de habichuelas (rice with beans).

    JUMP TO: show ↓
    1. Why we ❤️ it
    2. What is moro rice
    3. Origin of arroz moro
    4. What beans to use
    5. Serving suggestions
    6. Dominican moro rice
    7. About this recipe
    8. Video
    9. Recipe

    Why we ❤️ it

    You are going to love this recipe for my family's moro, one of those dishes you have to learn if you are getting into our cuisine.

    What is moro rice

    Moro rice is a combination of rice and beans (or legumes) cooked in the same pot as one dish. Moro de habichuelas is the most popular one in our country.

    Origin of arroz moro

    Moro, both the concept and the dish exist all over Latin America, to which it came from Spain with the conquistadors. Moro recipes can be found from Ecuador to the Spanish Caribbean, and made in diverse ways depending on the country and region. Each country has its own flavor and combination of ingredients.

    Take Cuba for example. The Cuban counterpart of this popular Dominican dish is called "moros y cristianos" or Moors (Muslims) and Christians (a reminder of pre-colonial attitudes), and it still is known with that name in Cuba. It was shortened to just moro in the Dominican Republic. 

    In Haiti, a very similar rice dish is known as "ris et pois", and is prepared with fewer ingredients than the Dominican version. In Jamaica, it is known as "rice and peas".

    Different types of beans.
    Moro: rice and beans.

    Beans and moro rice.

    What beans to use

    This recipe is a generic one that can be made with red beans, pinto, or cranberry beans (see our guide to habichuelas). 

    It can also be modified by using either black beans, fava beans, butter beans, navy beans, or guandules (pigeon peas). There's also a lesser-known version called Moro-Locrio which is made by adding meat to a moro dish.

    Serving suggestions

    This is a dish that goes perfect with any of our guisados (stewed meats, veggies, or seafood cooked in tomato sauce). The rich sauce is just perfect over a plate of moro. Try our Dominican pollo (chicken) guisado, res (beef) guisada, cerdo (pork) guisado, pescado (fish) guisado, and camarones (shrimp) guisado. For a vegan alternative, repollo (cabbage) guisado is fantastic.

    Dominican moro rice

    Moro is made by combining boiled beans, vegetables, herbs, and spices, and cooked with rice in the same pot.  But the definition of moro rice is very specific, in our country not all pulses can be part of a moro. 

    Each household in the Dominican Republic probably has its own version of this combination of this Dominican yellow rice and beans recipe, but the general concept of how to make Dominican rice and beans remains the same.

    White rice and beans cooked separately are part of our traditional lunch meal too.

    About this recipe

    The addition of thyme to this recipe is owed to the fact that this is a very common ingredient in bean dishes in the northwestern DR, where I hail from. Feel free to adapt this recipe to your and your family's taste. And we'd love to hear what's different in yours.

    This recipe yields 6 servings, about 1½ cups of moro per person, which is traditionally what we would serve at home in the Dominican Republic.

    Buen provecho!

    Tia Clara

    Video

    Recipe

    This awesome free recipe contains Amazon affiliate links, we receive a small commission from any purchase you make at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

    Moro: Rice with beans
    Keep screen on while cooking

    [Recipe + Video] Moro de Habichuelas (Dominican Rice with Beans)

    By: Clara Gonzalez
    Moro de Habichuelas Recipe (Dominican Rice and Beans): This is one of the most common dishes on the Dominican table. We are presenting here a generic moro version that you can modify by adding other types of beans or legumes.
    5 from 53 votes
    Save for Later Send by Email Print Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 50 mins
    Course Lunch
    Cuisine Dominican, Latino
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 636 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 gal [4 liters]-cast aluminum or cast iron pot with tight-fitting lid

    Ingredients

    • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, (I prefer olive oil) divided
    • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
    • 1 tablespoon mashed garlic
    • ½ teaspoon dry thyme leaves, or a 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
    • ¼ cup chopped celery
    • ⅛ cup pitted green olives, sliced (optional)
    • 1 teaspoon oregano (dry, ground)
    • `1 cubanela (cubanelle pepper), diced (or green bell pepper)
    • ⅛ cup capers, (optional)
    • 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
    • 2 cup boiled red kidney beans
    • 2 teaspoons salt, (or more, to taste)
    • 4 cup rice, long grain rice, Carolina

    Instructions
     

    • Sauteing moro ingredients
      Sauteing seasonings: Heat half the oil (2.5 Tbsp) in an cast aluminum or cast iron pot over low heat and sauté 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. Add beans, also while stirring, and season with salt.
    • Water boiling
      Adding water: Once heated through, add 5 cups of 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).
    • Cooking rice with beans rice
      Cooking rice: Once the water reaches a rolling boil stir in the rice and simmer stirring frequently to avoid excessive sticking. Make sure to remove the rice that sticks to the bottom.
      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, drizzle the remaining oil, and stir.
      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 ¼ cup of boiling water before stirring and covering.
    • Serving moro (rice with beans)
      Serving: Serve with meat, (or seafood), a side dish, and salad (see notes).

    Tips and Notes

    If you boil the beans yourself use the water in which they boiled in place of (or partially) the 5 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.
    Moro rice goes better with braised meats with plenty of "sauce". We suggest chicken or beef. And for a vegan moro meal, you can't go wrong with our cabbage dish.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 636kcalCarbohydrates: 113gProtein: 14gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 967mgPotassium: 418mgFiber: 6gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 75IUVitamin C: 6.2mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 2.8mg

    Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.

    READERS SEARCHED FOR arroz con frijoles, moros y cristianos, rice with beans recipe, ris et pois
    More recipes with: beans, grains, rice

    Published Dec 27, 2010, revised Jan 5, 2023

    More The Best Dominican Side Dishes

    • Habichuelas (Frijoles) Negros (Stewed Black Beans Recipe)
    • Black Beans and Rice Recipe (Moro de Habichuela Negra)
    • Oven and Air Fryer Tostones
    • Arroz Navideño (Christmas Rice with Raisins and Almonds)
    Edited: Jan 5, 2023 | Publish: Dec 27, 2010

    ¡Hola! I am Tía Clara, your host. Thanks for visiting.
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