Simplified Haitian Rice 'n Beans

Growing up with a parent who had spent a good part of her early adult life in Haiti I of course grew up eating pumpkin soup around New Year's Day and Haitian-style rice and beans. Both are fantastic meals, but rice and beans in particular I've rarely made because of how long they take, especially since moving to the PRC and being reduced to using one hot plate. (Overnight - or over-flight rather! - meals requiring more than one burner to make became time-consuming pains in the butt.) So I'm not sure why it took me so long to realize that I could probably make a modified rice and beans in my rice cooker! I finally had a light bulb moment today though, and what follows is how I went about bringing this great meal back into my life!


Disclaimer: This is very much tailored to my tastes and I wouldn't dare to claim it's legit Haitian rice 'n beans, which are amazing when made properly. This is a nice almost taste of that classic, however, and something easy to throw together in a few minutes when you're not up to spending a lot of time in the kitchen.



Simplified Haitian Rice 'n Beans

Ingredients
1 cup of jasmine rice*
1 1/4 cups of cold water
Bouillon**
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Parsley (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Red pepper flakes (if desired)
Thyme (to taste)
1/2 onion (chopped)
4 large cloves of garlic (crushed or minced)
15-ounce can of kidney beans

*Jasmine is just what I have in my kitchen at the moment. If you're using another variety of rice adjust the amount of water accordingly.
**I popped a local veggie bouillon cube in today since it's what's available to me. Use what you've got in the necessary proportions!

Directions
1) Lord, bless!
2) Rinse the rice two or three times before draining thoroughly and adding the water, bouillon, herbs, and spices. I usually give the mixture a bit of a stir or shake to combine.
3) Layer the onion, garlic, and kidney beans on top of the rice and water.
4) Set your rice cooker cooking!
5) When the rice cooker's finished I usually unplug mine (so that it stops warming the pot, which can burn the rice) and let it sit for 5 minutes before uncovering and giving the contents a good mix.
6) Enjoy as is or with sides of your choice! I find this makes three individual portions if eaten on its own, but it could go further if it were part of a proper meal.