Haitian rice with beans

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 100 g beans, red or kidney beans, dried, soaked overnight
• 200 g long grain rice
• 1 large onion(s), finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp thyme
• 100 g bacon cubes
• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 chili pepper(s) (Scotch Bonnet Chili)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 16 hours

The national dish of Haiti, as my grandmother made it.

Cook the beans in one liter of water until they are nice and tender. This can take 2-3 hours. The beans should be ready to eat. Heat the oil in a large pot and fry the onion, garlic, thyme, parsley, and bacon bits for about 5 minutes. If you want the dish to be quite spicy, you can also chop the chili peppers and fry them with the onion. Separate the beans from the bean water (don’t throw away the water!), add the beans to the pot and 500 ml of the cooking water. Bring to a boil and stir in the rice. Season with salt and pepper. If you don’t want the dish to be spicy, add the whole chili pepper at this point. Cook over low heat in a covered pot until the rice is tender.