Coconut rice with red beans from Panama

Rice and beans feature heavily in Central and South American cuisines and you will find many recipes have little or no meat.  Use them as international inspiration for vegetarian dishes to delight friends.

Coconut rice with red beans recipe

Make this recipe a vegetarian option by choosing 1 Tbs vegetable oil instead of bacon strips.

Ingredients

Procedure

1. Boil the 4 cups of water with the coconut for 2 minutes, set aside to cool. When it has cooled enough to handle, squeeze dry, reserving the liquid, and combining it with the milk.
2. Chop the bacon and saute it with the green pepper, onion and the hot pepper in the same pan that you will be using to cook the rice.
3. Toss in the tomato and kidney beans (with its liquid) and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the hot pepper from the mix.
5. Pour in the coconut milk, sugar and salt. Cover pot and bring to just a boil
6. Rinse and drain the uncooked rice before mix comes to a boil. Add the rice to the boiling milk mixture. Cooked uncovered for 1-2 minutes, cover and reduce flame to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
   

Recipe type

Central America Cuisine, Main Course, Gluten free, Milk free, Vegetarian - when prepared with vegetable oil and no bacon strips.

Cooking tips

• Good international option for special diets. All the ingredients are gluten free and apt for those with celiac disease.
• Enjoy it as it is or make it vegetarian by cooking with vegetable oil and skipping the bacon. Rice and beans are healthy and together make good quality protein, so you can be vegetarian and cook international.
  
  This option makes the dish even lighter -less fat- and healthier.