Spicing up a dish can make rice and beans more appetizing.
Rice and beans are basic and somewhat generic staples on their own, but take on the characteristics of different cultures when they are livened up with herbs and spices. Knowing which spices to use in a curry, Jamaican chicken dish or taco will help you to get the most flavor out of your rice and beans.
Mexican
Mexico has a long tradition of cooking with rice and beans. The most common herbs and spices vary by region in Mexico, with the cuisine of northern Mexico generally being hotter and spicier than that of southern Mexico. Many Mexicans enjoy habaneros, extremely hot peppers that give dishes a serious bite. Red pepper, basil and cayenne are also favored in Mexican cooking. In combination, they lend depth and complexity to the flavors of dishes such as tacos, frijoles and chimichangas.
Indian
Like Mexico, India is a warm country in which beans and rice have been cultivated for many hundreds of years. Curry is the most common Indian dish featuring rice. Curry is a mixture of vegetables and spices that is traditionally served on top of a bed of rice. Some of the more common spices used in curry include turmeric, cumin, coriander and cardamom. Beans are used in Indian cuisine to make chili dishes and in curry as well, creating a complementary bean and rice mixture when the curry is served over the rice.
Caribbean
Rice and beans are used in different combinations all over the Caribbean in conjunction with dishes such as chicken jerk, conch soup and fish. Curry, cilantro and ginger are popular spices for livening up Caribbean rice and beans, along with soy sauce in the cooking process and added as a condiment while eating. Allspice, which despite its name is not a mixture of spices but a berry that grows on tropical evergreen trees, is also popular in Caribbean cooking.
Chinese
One of the most famous elements of Chinese cooking is a combination of cloves, cinnamon, fennel, pepper and anise that is widely known as "five spice." This combination can be used in a wide variety of dishes, including rice and beans, to create distinctive Asian flavors. Rice and beans are commonly mixed with tofu, green vegetables, pork and seafood along with the five spice mixture.
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