As the real point of this blog from the beginning is healing through food. As in “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” the quote attributed to Hippocrates,(though we stray widely in the mission,) in this post holiday feasting season, old snswrld needed some soul food. So after attempt 3 I’ve finally figured out to get a damn good pot of rice and beans out of the instant pot knockoff with some pretty straightforward measurements.
This isn’t red beans and rice, as the man in charge only has a few varieties of beans on hand, so I make it with black beans, and medium grain rice. I’m lucky enough to have Nishiki right now, but any medium grain rice works.
One of the problems in translating to instant pot, is liquid measures are not the same as stove-top or oven recipes, and there’s no standard conversion guide, but I’ve been experimenting with measures and times, and I’ve got it for you.
Dry beans, around the size of a black bean, will absorb the same amount of water as an equal portion of rice, if this method is followed. And extra moisture to finish the whole thing perfectly comes from other ingredients.
One 4 cup box of Chicken Broth. If we’re standardizing, this is the perfect place to start. The trick is, other ingredients add a touch of the moisture needed to perfectly cook both dry beans and rice to the perfect consistency.
So here we go. This is a little indulgent for my own personal tastes and can be simplified and adjusted, but ratios temps and times remain the same.
2 cups dry black beans
I medium yellow onion, sliced
I whole bulb garlic just smashed and peeled, no chopping necessary.
One whole tube of dirty Mexican Chorizo sausage with all the lymph nodes guts and assholes that implies. This is one of the problems living in white people country is that a lot of “chorizo” is prime cuts of pork sausage and fat, and doesn’t melt into sludge in the pan. Nobody’s Abuela thinks that’s chorizo. You need the offal bits, chemicals, food waste and the whole deal. Get the cheap tube. The other is spiced cut pork.
For my flavor profile, beyond all the fistfulls of chorizo and alliums, I cheat a little, because I might be poor but rich with chilies and spices.
1/4-1/2 Tsp of smoked serrano powder. It’s a sneeze maker but worth it.
1/2 Tsp of Ancho Powder.
1/2-1 tsp of dried Oregano to taste.
Fresh ground black pepper to taste.
Dash of cumin.
3 Tbsp, butter. Trust me. I used Amish.
I also added about 1/3 cup of chipotle salsa.
I usually make my own seasoned salts, and haven’t had the opportunity lately, so I used a couple shakes of Slap Your Mama seasoned salt. It’s decent. If you see it on sale grab a shaker. You don’t need to add much salt, if you have full-sodium broth and real chorizo. Couple shakes will do ya.
Now here’s where the trickery comes in. The charts in the book and the settings on the machine aren’t going to get you there.
You’re going to cook this whole pot of beany greasy liquidy chili goodness for a full hour on high pressure and heat, before adding any rice. I don’t care what the rules say, or anyone else’s estimate on liquid ratios or cook times. Your beans will not break down too far from a full hour pressure cook if they are dry-to-pot. Let em do their thing. Make a snack to deal with the delicious aromas in the kitchen and wait until the beans are done then vent to get the lid off.
Then your 2 cups of dry medium grain rice, on the legit and accurate white rice setting for your cooker. Mine’s 6 minutes not including pressure build up. Stir that rice in well. Don’t add any more liquid. While the beans seems to take longer than forever, the rice cook time is just a few minutes, seal it back up and do the rice cook, but rather than venting immediately. Let the pot depressurize naturally before popping the lid. At least 4 minutes. If you’re starving, you can probably vent at 4.
Stir it up, garnish with a little cheese or sour cream. Sprig of cilantro if you’re fancy.
Please adjust to taste and enjoy. Any suggestions for adjustments or mods can be shared via the contact form or the reddit forum, and if they’re any good I’ll add them to this post.