When we imagine a typical family dinner, we might envision a large, plump, roasted chicken surrounded by bowls of various cooked vegetables, or maybe a juicy steak lathered in onions with whipped or mashed potatoes on the side, with butter slowly melting in the middle. Enticing as these meals sound, the dinner which my parents and I worship is much simpler: black beans, sticky rice, with corn on top. During our travels to countries such as Costa Rica, when our hosts served us they would often say, “We are sorry that we could not get you something fancier and tastier than black beans, rice, and corn,” but we tirelessly explain that these are our staple foods and we know no better meal in the world.
So what is it that makes this traditional Spanish dish so appealing? I have already mentioned its simplicity multiple times, but I think that is one of the dish’s key attributes. The pure substance of the rice combined with the smooth, mushy texture of the beans and the hint of sweetness in the corn gives it a plain but unbelievably satisfying taste that makes me want to eat as much of it as possible, strikingly similar to the “Once you pop, the fun don’t stop” slogan in the Pringles commercials. Like black beans and rice, chips generally do not have any strong flavors, yet they are extremely addictive.
However, if you are the adventurous type and feel the need to add some more flavor, there are certainly some great ways you can do that. If you are like my mom who likes to drown everything in hot sauce (“mom, I wouldn’t put Tabasco on your corn flakes”), you might want to consider a more subtle approach to black beans and rice. My personal favorite is a few squeezes of lime to be mixed in thoroughly. Since none of the ingredients provide any overwhelmingly strong flavors, the hint of lime adds a good, subtle yet noticeable sourness to compliment the straightforwardness of the beans. Better yet, if you can get your hands on some decently fresh plantains (rarely possible for me living in the northeast United States, but we get lucky sometimes), mixing those in adds a similar subtle tartness as lime does, but with the same creamy, chewy texture as the main dish.
This dish tastes good and it is good for you. As a heavy meat eater, I rarely find much satisfaction in a salad without chicken in it or a taco salad without it most of it filled with ground beef, but this is a vegetarian dish I could live on for eternity.