Costa Rican · serves 6 · about 60 minutes
From Limón, Costa Rica's Caribbean coast: rice and red beans in coconut milk with thyme and a whole chile resting on top. Brought by Jamaican railroad workers, kept forever — the exchange never stopped.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Iberia Parboiled Rice 5 lbs
- 2 cups Iberia Red Kidney Beans W/S 15 oz
- 1 can Iberia Coconut Milk 13.5 oz
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 whole Panama (habanero-family) chile — whole, never burst
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Iberia Extra Virgin Olive Oil Blend 51 oz
- 1 cup water
Method
- Soften the onion and garlic in the oil with the thyme.
- Add beans, broth, and coconut milk; simmer 5 minutes.
- Stir in the rice and water; lay the whole chile gently on top — flavor, not fire.
- Boil until the liquid meets the rice; cover, lower, steam 20 minutes.
- Lift the chile out whole, fluff, and serve — with fried fish or stew chicken, the Limón Sunday.