GarbanzosChickpeas are grown and widely used throughout Mexico. Mexican cooks soak chickpeas overnight to reduce cooking time and to help loosen the skins so they will rub off easily after they are cooked, a traditional technique that I follow. It is not necessary to rub off the skins, but the beans have a smoother texture and taste without them.It is very easy to cook dried chickpeas. Of course, it does take time to cook any beans from scratch, but the results are worth the extra effort, for the beans will have better flavor. Dried chickpeas require very little attention while they cook, but plan ahead and allow time to soak the beans overnight in the traditional way.
Put the chickpeas in a strainer or colander and rinse under cold tap water.
Drain and put into a bowl.
Add hot water to about 1 inch above the level of the beans.
Cover and soak overnight.
Put the soaked beans and the soaking water into a large pot.
Add 2 more cups of water and the salt.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the beans are tender, but not mushy, about 1½ hours.
Cool the beans in the broth; then scoop chickpeas out of the broth, about ¼ cup at a time, and rub off the thin outer skins with your fingers and discard them.
Put skinned chickpeas into a bowl.
Repeat until all are skinned, then return all the chickpeas to the broth.
The beans are ready to use, or cover and refrigerate, in their broth, for up to 3 days.
Frijoles Blancos y Zanahorias con CebollinasIn Veracruz, white beans and carrots are paired with tiny green onions called cebollinas. The combination is very tasty, and I find that in the United States, substituting green onions for the unavailable cebollinas works just fine.
Frijoles Blanco con Ajo AsadaBeans of many colors and sizes are an integral part of daily meals in most Mexican homes, so it was not surprising to have smooth, puréed white beans served with my entrée at the elegant Restaurant El Sacramonte in Guadalajara.
While the beans are cooking, roast the garlic cloves in a small dry skillet over medium heat until flecked with brown and slightly soft.
Remove the papery skin and reserve.
When the beans are tender, using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to a food processor or blender.
Reserve the cooking broth.
Preheat oven to 325°.
In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat and cook the onion slowly, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the oregano, marjoram, and cumin.
Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Transfer to the processor with the beans.
Add the reserved roasted garlic and purée to a thick smooth mixture, adding just enough bean broth to achieve a consistency that holds its shape on a spoon.
Add the salt and red pepper.
Pulse 3 to 4 times to mix.
Transfer the puréed beans to an ovenproof baking dish and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until completely heated through.
215-ounce cans black beans, drained, but not rinsed
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Instructions
In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium high heat, and cook the onion and garlic, stirring, until the onion softens, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the cumin, oregano, red pepper, tomatoes, and beans.
Transfer the mixture to a food processor and pulse 8 to 10 times to make a coarse purée.
In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat.
Add the bean mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Turn the heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, 6 to 8 minutes, or until the liquids have reduced and the beans are thick enough to hold a mounded shape on a wooden spoon.
Veracruz beans and rice combines tender black beans, fluffy white rice, jalapeño, cumin, oregano, onion, and garlic in a rich but pleasantly moist Mexican dish.
Drain the cooked black beans and reserve their cooking liquid.
Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add the rice and stir until every grain is lightly coated.
Cook the rice for 2–3 minutes until aromatic and beginning to turn golden.
Pour in the vegetable broth and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan.
Cook for 18–20 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the rice stand covered for 10 minutes.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a second saucepan over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook for approximately 3 minutes until it begins to brown.
Add the garlic, jalapeño, cumin, and oregano.
Cook for another 2 minutes while stirring regularly.
Add the black beans and ⅓ cup of reserved bean liquid.
Fold in the cooked rice and season with salt.
Cook for approximately 5 minutes until everything is hot and the flavors are combined.
Add up to ⅓ cup additional bean liquid when the mixture appears too dry.
Serve the Veracruz beans and rice warm.
Notes & Wine Advice
Serving Suggestions
Serve Veracruz beans and rice as a complete vegan meal or as a side dish with grilled vegetables, tacos, enchiladas, or roasted chicken. Add tomato salsa, avocado, lime wedges, or fresh cilantro. Explore our Mexican recipes for more suitable combinations.
Recipe Notes
The dish should be rich and moist but not soupy. Reserve enough bean liquid to adjust the consistency after combining the rice and beans. Use cooked beans that are tender but still hold their shape. Find more useful meal ideas among our rice recipes.
Variations
Replace the jalapeño with poblano pepper for a milder flavor or add chipotle for smoky heat. Brown rice can replace white rice but will require additional liquid and cooking time. Browse our vegetarian recipes for more meat-free variations.
Wine Advice
A fresh Sauvignon Blanc complements the jalapeño and herbs. A fruity Garnacha is a suitable red wine for the earthy black beans and cumin.
Veracruz beans and rice is a comforting Mexican dish that combines tender black beans with fragrant white rice, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, and oregano. Known as Moros y Cristianos, the recipe reflects the historical Spanish influence found in the regional cooking of Veracruz.
The name traditionally refers to the visual contrast between dark beans and pale rice. Similar combinations appear throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, although the seasonings and cooking methods vary considerably by location. In this Veracruz-inspired version, the rice and beans are cooked separately before being gently combined.
This method provides greater control over the final texture. The rice remains distinct, the beans keep their shape, and reserved bean liquid creates the characteristic moist consistency without turning the dish into soup.
The History Behind Moros y Cristianos
The Spanish name Moros y Cristianos translates as “Moors and Christians.” It refers to the long historical period during which Muslim Moors ruled parts of the Iberian Peninsula while Christian kingdoms remained elsewhere in Spain. The contrasting colors of black beans and white rice became associated with that history.
Spanish culinary traditions later influenced food throughout Mexico and the wider Americas. In Veracruz, those traditions blended with local ingredients, Indigenous techniques, and the region’s strong Caribbean connections. The result is a distinctive style of cooking built around rice, beans, seafood, tomatoes, peppers, and aromatic seasonings.
Today, Veracruz beans and rice is appreciated primarily as affordable, filling comfort food rather than for its historical name. It works equally well as a side dish or a simple plant-based main course.
Preparing Veracruz Beans and Rice
The rice is first cooked briefly in olive oil until it becomes aromatic and begins to turn golden. This step adds a subtle toasted flavor and helps the grains remain separate. Vegetable broth then provides more depth than plain water while keeping the finished recipe vegan and vegetarian.
The onion is cooked separately until lightly browned before the garlic, jalapeño, cumin, and oregano are added. Briefly heating these seasonings in oil releases their aromas and prevents the finished dish from tasting flat.
Cooked black beans and some of their reserved liquid are added to the seasoned onion mixture. The cooked rice is then folded in carefully. Stir gently so the beans do not break and the rice grains remain intact. Visit our rice recipe collection for more dishes using this versatile ingredient.
Getting the Texture Right
The defining feature of Moros y Cristianos is its moist but structured consistency. The beans and rice should hold together on the plate, but the mixture should never become dry or crumbly. Reserved bean liquid is the easiest way to control this balance.
Begin with ⅓ cup of bean liquid and add more only when necessary. The amount required depends on how thoroughly the beans were drained and how much moisture remains in the cooked rice. Add the extra liquid gradually because too much can make the dish soupy.
Serve Veracruz beans and rice with avocado, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, tomato salsa, or roasted peppers. It also pairs naturally with dishes from our Mexican recipe collection.
Storage and Useful Variations
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Add a tablespoon of water or vegetable broth before reheating because cooked rice continues absorbing moisture during storage. Reheat the dish until it is thoroughly hot.
Brown rice can replace the white rice, although it requires more liquid and a longer cooking time. Poblano pepper creates a milder version, while chipotle introduces smoky heat. Fresh cilantro or lime juice can be added shortly before serving for a brighter finish.
Cool cooked rice promptly and avoid leaving it at room temperature for extended periods. Follow the FDA safe food-handling guidance when cooling, storing, and reheating rice and beans.
With its earthy beans, fragrant seasonings, and carefully balanced moisture, Veracruz beans and rice is an economical and deeply satisfying example of traditional Mexican comfort food.
Frijoles Negro con Cerdo estilo YucatánMerida, the capital of Yucatán features a mix of colonial and modern architecture. This recipe for black beans with tidbits of pork comes from El Anfitrión restaurant in Merida. Serve the dish like a stew, with good crusty bread or fresh tortillas. Garnish the beans with Radish Salsa.
Frijoles Negro YucatecanBlack beans, cooked in the Yucatán style, are seasoned very simply and are quite "soupy." I prefer to serve them in individual bowls to be eaten with a main dish. The herb, epazote, is essential to the authentic flavor, but if it's not available, just leave it out. The beans will still be very good. For this recipe, I use the quick-soak method as a variation to cook the beans, but do not drain off the soaking water. I often use sea salt for cooking and usually bring some home from Mexico. If you don't have it, use ordinary table salt.
Frijoles de FiestaCelebrations in Mexico naturally call for plenty of food. A friendly taxi driver in Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco, told me how to make this fiesta bean dish. As he drove, he talked and I took notes. This pot of beans is fit for any convivial gathering.Adding tequila to the beans (and to many other dishes) is common in Jalisco, where almost all of the tequila in Mexico is produced.
Frijoles y Puerco con ChiliChili beans are among the favorite Mexican-American dishes in the United States that probably came across the Mexican border via Texas, where the beans are made with pork or beef. The beans in this hearty, full-meal dish are cooked with chunks of tender braised pork in a spicy tomato sauce of chili powder, herbs, and spices.
Frijoles CharrosTraditional frijoles charros are cooked with tomatoes, onion, and serrano chiles. In this version, bacon is added to enrich and flavor the beans. Charros refers to the skilled horsemen from Jalisco and other nearby states, who wear elaborate outfits and huge sombreros beautifully decorated with silver. Their horses are similarly bedecked. There is a popular Charros festival in the city of Colima every February that continues for fifteen days with rodeos, bullfights, music, food, and dance. Frijoles charros are served in fondas and restaurants throughout the region. The beans are also called "cowboy beans" in other northern regions, such as Monterrey and in the state of Nuevo Leon.
Pick over dried beans carefully and remove any pebbles or debris.
Place in a large strainer or colander and rinse thoroughly under cold tap water.
Put the beans in a large pot.
Cover with about 2 inches of water.
Bring to a boil and add the bay leaf.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook the beans, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 1½ to 2 hours.
(Add more water if liquid thickens before the beans are tender.
Do not let the beans boil dry.
)
In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp.
Remove and drain on paper towels.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat, and in the same pan, cook the onion and garlic, stirring, until the onion begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
When the beans are tender, add the bacon and the skillet ingredients to the beans along with the serrano and tomatoes.
Continue cooking the beans, uncovered, until the broth thickens, about 20 to 25 minutes.
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