Ingredients
Method
- Make Garlic Paste: In a mortar, mash 4 garlic cloves with ½ teaspoon oregano and ½ teaspoon salt until it forms a paste.
- Saute Garlic: In a large pot over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add the garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add Beans: Stir in the drained black beans.
- Add Seasoning: Add 1 packet of Sazon, stir well.
- Boil: Add 3 cups of water and a chicken bouillon cube. Bring to a boil.
- Add Rice: Stir in the rinsed rice and 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro. Continue boiling until the water is reduced.
- Simmer: Once the water has evaporated, reduce the heat to low. Cover with a tight lid and cook for 45-50 minutes, stirring after 25 minutes.
- Serve: Once cooked, fluff the rice and beans and serve.
Nutrition
Notes
Pro Tips:
Always use dried black beans, never canned, because the long cooking process with sofrito allows the bean skins to absorb those aromatic compounds while the starches develop properly — canned beans are already cooked and won't achieve that deep, integrated flavor. Add your salt only in the final 15 minutes of cooking because salt added too early will toughen the bean skins and prevent them from breaking down properly, which you need for that perfect creamy texture when you do the partial mashing. Toast your whole cumin seeds in a dry pan before grinding them fresh — this releases volatile oils that create a deeper, more complex flavor than pre-ground cumin, and it's a technique my abuela swore by for authentic Dominican sazón. Partially mash about one-third of the beans against the side of the pot while they're still bubbling with liquid — this releases starches that naturally thicken the cooking liquid and creates that signature creamy consistency without making the dish mushy.
Always use dried black beans, never canned, because the long cooking process with sofrito allows the bean skins to absorb those aromatic compounds while the starches develop properly — canned beans are already cooked and won't achieve that deep, integrated flavor. Add your salt only in the final 15 minutes of cooking because salt added too early will toughen the bean skins and prevent them from breaking down properly, which you need for that perfect creamy texture when you do the partial mashing. Toast your whole cumin seeds in a dry pan before grinding them fresh — this releases volatile oils that create a deeper, more complex flavor than pre-ground cumin, and it's a technique my abuela swore by for authentic Dominican sazón. Partially mash about one-third of the beans against the side of the pot while they're still bubbling with liquid — this releases starches that naturally thicken the cooking liquid and creates that signature creamy consistency without making the dish mushy.