Who does not like to have dessert (once in a while)? Well today, I will be telling you about one of my favorite cultural desserts known as Kheer. Many people may know this as rice pudding since it’s almost the same thing, but kheer has a sort of unique taste to it which you could only recognize once you have tried it. The good thing about kheer is that you can eat it both hot and cold, and it will taste good either way. In winter, eating warm kheer will help you relax and feel comfortable. While this recipe does not have many ingredients, it still requires a lot of patience and hard work to make. Every time this was made in my family, I would eat the leftovers for many days because it lasts for a long time and the fresh taste remains as the days pass. 

 So, this recipe originates from South Asia around 2000 years ago and has both religious and cultural significance. The tradition describes how Krishna disguised himself as an old man and challenged a king to a chess match. The old man placed a bet with the king stating that he should owe him a grain of rice for every square of the chessboard. However, there was one small catch which was that the grain of rice would multiply with the previous square. At the end, the old man ended up with trillions of grains of rice that the king owed him. Krishna reveals himself and instead of forcing the king to pay, he creates a tradition where kheer should be served to anyone that entered the temple, without any payment. In addition to the religious aspect, culturally kheer was immensely popular during the time that the British ruled in the Indian Subcontinent.  

Now you may wonder how rice pudding can have any significance? Isn’t it just a simple recipe which requires little time? Many people may think this, but I believe that the significance actually comes from the effort that is required. While making the kheer, you must keep stirring the rice with the milk or else everything will burn. This can get very tiring and will make some people want to quit. Personally, this reminds me of the effort that is required in life. While some people may believe that life is simple and everything will be handed to them, I am reminded that you cannot achieve anything without working towards it. Also, life is something that requires patience and trust in yourself without quitting. Effort and hard work is required for everything that you want to achieve and that is the only way that people may become successful. In addition to this, when kheer is prepared it is always something that you give to your family and extended family such as your relatives. This also reminds me that once you achieve something that requires hard work, you never forget about the people that were with you from the beginning and always share your success with them.  

Now let’s finally get to the recipe: 

You will need: 

• Basmati rice 

• Milk 

• Sugar 

• Cardamom powder 

• Chopped almonds, cashews, and pistachios (optional) 

(Ingredients are based off preference but make sure to have more milk than rice or it will become too thick) 

Steps:  

• Rince your rice a couple of times in water and then soak it for 30 minutes 

• Boil the rice on medium heat until the consistency is very soft 

• On a separate pot add milk and let it boil on low heat 

• Add cardamom powder to the milk while it boils 

• Add the rice to the boiling milk and mix while it cooks 

• Stir for 30 minutes in intervals 

• When the consistency becomes more thicker, add sugar  

• Keep stirring in intervals for 30 more minutes 

• Once the consistency becomes thick, add crushed nuts (optional) 

• When it starts bubbling on low heat, turn off the heat and let it cool 

• Now it is ready to serve 

• Add more nuts for garnishing (optional) 

Can be served hot or refrigerated! 

Everyone has their own way of managing the stresses of daily life, whether it’s through listening to music, taking long walks, or indulging in a good book. For me, baking serves as a personal therapy session, offering a comforting escape from reality. Baking is a controlled and rewarding activity that never feels overwhelming and consistently delivers delightful results. From the enticing aroma wafting from the oven to the creative joy of crafting my own desserts, baking always brings me happiness and soothes my nerves. I enjoy experimenting with various treats and adding my personal touch, from cinnamon cupcakes to puddings. Yet, one dessert stands out as my ultimate comfort: the chocolate and vanilla marble cake.

Before diving into making the batter, I always ensure my workspace—usually the kitchen table—is clear and organized. I clear away any clutter that might disturb my flow, creating a neat, calm environment. Next, I gather all the utensils I’ll need for my baking extravaganza: two large bowls—one for chocolate and one for vanilla—my measuring cups, spoons, electric mixer, and spatula. I carefully lay out the bowls side by side, making sure everything is in its proper place. Then, it’s time to bring out the essentials: the ingredients. Here’s what I need:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup milk
• 4 large eggs
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups cocoa powder

I begin with the vanilla cake, using half of the total ingredients for each batter. First, I whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in one bowl. In a separate bowl, I beat the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, using the electric mixer. Then, I add the eggs and vanilla extract to the mixture. Afterward, I gradually fold in the dry ingredients, alternating with milk, until fully combined. Of course, I always do a taste test at this point—I like my batter extra sweet, so I might add more sugar or vanilla until it’s just right. Satisfied, I scoop a little batter for a quick snack, my small indulgence while the rest bakes.

Next, I repeat the same process for the chocolate batter, mixing in the cocoa powder until everything is fully incorporated. With both batters ready, I prepare two loaf pans by spreading a thin layer of butter inside. Using two large spoons, I alternate adding scoops of vanilla and chocolate batter into each pan. Once both pans are filled, it’s time for my favorite part: creating the marble effect. Using a butter knife, I swirl the batters in each pan, making intricate designs that always help me unwind. Finally, I pop the pans into the oven and bake them for about 45 minutes.

When the delicious aroma of chocolate and vanilla fills the kitchen, I know the cakes are ready. I slice into one, revealing the beautiful marble pattern inside. This moment always calms my nerves, as if the sight of the cake alone is a breath of fresh air. Baking this marble cake not only helps me destress but has also brought wonderful memories—like family trips and tea-time bonding sessions where my cake takes center stage. I remember last summer at Lake George, we shared laughs over card games and my marble cake. Though small, this dessert has brought a sense of calm and connection, soothing my mind while fostering moments of joy with my loved ones.

Fish! My parents were raised on it since fish is the one thing that is overabundant in Bangladesh, in addition to rice, tea, and people. Whether it be itty-bitty fish turned into shutki (dried fish) or large catfish, there were always at least two to three fish dishes every day of the week. Something expensive like chicken or beef was bought when someone was coming to visit, but the one thing that always was on the table was some sort of fish. So you can only imagine how confused my parents were when they immigrated to the States in the early 2000s to find the opposite to be true here. Some of the fish they loved from Bangladesh they couldn’t even find and ones they could easily source like Rui (Rohu) or Ilish (Hilsa) were super expensive or looked so different from native breeds my Mom would say they were a different fish altogether. For those reasons my Brother and I grew up to be very picky around fish, we hated it for all the bones involved and felt like it smelled horrible and would always prefer having a chicken, turkey, or beef dish over it.

My Mom understood in many parts and adapted to it since she’d rather her kids eat something, even if it meant changing her diet habits. As we grew up and began to cook on our own, she started cooking fish more and more often for just her and my Father, while we made something separate like chicken coconut curry for ourselves. It wasn’t until a day when I got sick of making the same chicken, turkey, and beef rotation for my Brother and me that I felt like finally trying to cook and eat fish just to escape the plainness of our routine. My Mom went with me that day to our local fish market and decided that she would teach me how to pick out fish, just like how she had taught me everything else about cooking from which of our pans to use for what, which seasonings did what, how much she usually used, what oil to use, and everything else that comes with cooking. That’s not to say everything my Mom did is what I do now, I cook in some ways she disapproves of and I disapprove of some of the ways she cooks as well. We ended up picking fresh tilapia filets since the whole fishes were scaring me senseless with their cloudy beady eyes and floppy wet lips. You can use whatever fish you want though! 

The things you will need though at a minimum:

• Your Fish of Choice (I recommend skinless & bone-free)
• Lal Mirch (Lal Mirch)
• Jeera Powder (Cumin)
• Dhaniya Powder (Coriander)
• HoludPowder (Turmeric)
• Shorshe seeds (Mustard)
• Ginger & Garlic (Powder, Paste, Etc)
• Butter/Olive Oil

There aren’t any exact measurements for these ingredients since they’ve never been measured in my house, just half a cap or random spoonfuls. It’s kind of like a game of guess-check where you add or subtract things according to what you think is best, especially since this recipe is often modified based on the amount, type, or general taste of the fish. If you have no clue you can try and cheat a bit by asking Google the “common,” amount of seasoning suggested for your exact amount, but I think the best way to do this recipe justice as well as learn the art of cooking is to just try it out and use your intuition. 

Now do as follows:

1. Preheat your oven first to around 400° F.  (I find baking the best method for fish since you keep all the delicious juices in it + you’re less likely to burn the fish/seasonings on it! It’s also technically the most traditional since my Mom’s family usually used a tandoor which is an oven made of clay)
2. Next, find a tray or oven-safe container where you can bake your fish. You can line the tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil for a quick cleanup, but begin to add some olive oil/melted butter to the bottom of it to keep your fish from sticking to it.
3. Mix around a tablespoon of each powdered seasoning, and around 5 mustard seeds for each pound of fish you have in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of ginger/garlic paste (extra great if you made it yourself!), or otherwise around 1 tablespoon of garlic and ginger powders respectively. 
4. Now coat each filet of your fish on each side with the seasoning mix and a bit of water so it all sticks well on it. Lay out your fish so none of it touches each other on your tray.
5. Spray/Drizzle the top of all your fish with some melted butter or olive oil. You can optionally add some extra red chili powder for color and flavor or perhaps lemon slices.
6. Now leave it to cook for 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness of the filet in the oven. Serve over rice when done and enjoy!

I hope you’ll enjoy my semi-traditional Bengali fish recipe! Let it become yours and hopefully, it’ll taste wonderful!

“Can I get a venti chai tea?” A phrase that I’m sure everyone has heard if not utilized at least once in their life. Well, what exactly is “chai tea”. According to a simple google search it is nothing more than just “a spiced tea beverage that typically includes…” and the boring but flavorful list of ingredients begins.

Now my definition of Chai tea is one that is much more complex than the boring google definition. To understand my definition, we must first understand the phrase “Chai tea” itself. Now the word “chai” is a word in Hindi and Urdu that simply means tea. So, the phrase “chai tea” simply translates to “tea tea”. Doesn’t that sound a bit flawed? Since the phrase itself is flawed the meaning behind it must be flawed! Or does it?

Well, this definition is perfectly fine on paper, but the beverage chai holds much more meaning behind it. The true significance of chai comes from the process of making but more so drinking it. Since we are discussing the process of making chai you must be wondering what ingredients we need. Well for our purposes let’s keep it a simple but flavorful recipe of chai. The type of chai we will be focusing on is called “dudh pati” which translates to “milk leaf tea.” As the name suggests, the only ingredients you need it is milk and tea leaves!

Now how do we make this chai. It is quite simple so all you need to do is throw in a few teabags in boiling hot milk, stir and that’s the chai right there, enjoy! That once again is something that is simple and straight basically has no life to it. How do we bring life to this chai? Well grab a cup of milk or I’d rather say two. This will make more sense later, just trust the process. Throw the milk in a pot let it boil and once it starts boiling grab 3-4 teabags and throw it in the pot. What teabags you may be asking? Honestly it could be any company from an South Asian supermarket but personally I’d recommend “Tapal Danedar”. Why this company specifically will also make sense later. Now you let the milk with the teabags boil and keep a keen eye on it. If you happen to look away now you have a boiling hot mess rather than a nice hot cup of chai. Let the milk boil while stirring. If the milk begins to rise don’t worry this is a part of the process keep calm and follow my instructions.

When the milk begins to boil just take a spoon or honestly anything to scoop the milk up with while being able to stir. So, with this instrument of choice scoop up some of the milk and pour it back in this way the milk doesn’t boil over. Or you can move the pot away from the flame for 5 seconds or so watch the milk cool down and put it back over the flame all while stirring. Somewhere during this process, you can add sugar if desired. The amount I’d recommend is 2-3 teaspoons, but this varies on personal choice. Once the milk has reached a light milky brown pigment your chai is ready. Pour this into the two cups which originally had just the milk, and now your chai is ready to enjoy.

You may be wondering, why two cups? This is the part that nobody really mentions and honestly this is where all the meaning in this beverage comes from. So, there is a slogan from the company “Tapal Daneder” hence why I recommended this company specifically. This slogan is “tum mei aur ek cup chai” which literally translates to “you me and one cup tea.” The significance behind this slogan is that it refers to the deeper meaning behind chai. Chai isn’t meant to be enjoyed alone but it is rather meant to be enjoyed with someone and that someone can be anyone you love spending time with whether that is a family member, a neighbor, a friend, or a very close friend. Now you grab a person of your choice offer them a cup of chai and enjoy it but further enjoy the conversation and quality time this chai has provided you with!

I’ll be honest with you. I never understood the idea of taking more than forty minutes to make breakfast. It’s breakfast. If you asked me, it doesn’t need to be fancy, doesn’t need to be Michelin star, it just needs to be tasty and be enough to keep away hunger until your next meal. Of course my opinion on this matter is likely why my breakfasts never seem, sincere—for lack of a better word, anyways. It’s usually just whatever at the local Fay Da Bakery to be honest. But when I do have the time to cook myself a breakfast, it’s usually the same thing I always cook for breakfast because, well, its simple, its quick, and I’ve never really been a picky eater.

Fried rice is something that you’d find in many different cultures across the world, and the Philippines is no exception. From Sinangag, garlic fried rice, to Aligue rice, which is made with crab fat, and more that I probably can’t pronounce properly. But if there’s one thing that all those different dishes have in common, it’s that to a degree, they’re complex.

The fried rice I make is not. It is by all means a simple dish. It is a simple dish because we already live with enough complexity. Whenever my parents cooked, they never did anything over the top. Sure, they would make meals from recipes that probably had over fifteen different ingredients, but more often than not they’d just throw something into a pot or into a pan and eyeballed it. There is no complexity in that.

My fried rice recipe is special to me because it’s simple. Rice, meat, vegetables, seasoning, that’s all you really need. There is no hour long prep time before you even turn on the stove, no digging for that new bottle of cooking wine you bought three days ago. It is a recipe that takes you through a process that is no more than is written.

I also don’t have measurements on the recipe because my tastes are not the same as yours. Simple doesn’t mean same, it just means simple. What type of vegetables? Your preference. What type of meat? Your preference. What type of rice? Your preference. There is nothing over the top needed, nothing demanding, because breakfast should not be demanding.

When ever I make this fried rice dish I feel a sense of control over it that often seems to be missed in every day life, because no matter how much our lives are ours, we are never fully in control of the events that occur within it. However, cooking is different. When I make fried rice, I choose what I put in it, what I cook it in, where I cook it. It’s just me, the stove, and what’s going to be my breakfast. That fact is what I love about simple recipes, what I love about my fried rice recipe. No thoughts, no struggle. Just a good breakfast that one can eat before taking on the day.

Ingredients

• Day old rice
• Cooking oil(your preference)
• Meat(Your preference)
• Vegetables(your preferance)
• Garlic(powder or clove)
• Ground black pepper
• Dark Soy(or regular)sauce(or none if you don’t want to add it)
• Fish sauce(optional)
• Any spices of your choosing

Measurements are to your preference. Remove anything your allergic too(obviously)

Instructions

1. Set the stove to high heat.
2. Put just enough oil on a pan to coat the surface.
3. If the meat of your choosing is raw, cook the meat first. Cook the meat to your preference. If your meat is precooked or you’r not adding meat, skip this step.
4. Add day old rice to the pan. Cook until you hear a light simmer from the rice.
5. Add precooked meat, garlic, and vegetables of your preference. Stir them into the rice thoroughly.
6. Add dark soy sauce and fish sauce. Stir thoroughly until the simmer gets louder
7. Add black pepper/spice of your choosing. Stir thoroughly. Cook until the rice fully browns from the sauces

The classic omelet is nothing short of a masterpiece. For most people, it is a morning essential as it is filled with protein, easy to make, and relatively efficient for those with a busy schedule. However, the omelet holds an artistic trait in its ability to be treated like a canvas. The bare-boned yellow hashed dish can be coated and stuffed with ingredients that give your pallet life. For those who feel they want a true triple Michelin star dish, topping the dish off with a new garnish or herb and building the omelet in the style of a cylindrical shape may create the exact level of sophistication you are looking for. Perhaps the omelet is perfect in itself and only a few spices and a set cooking time is required to make the perfect dish. On the contrary, drowning your omelet in hash browns, mushrooms, sauces, and spices may support the consistency of your meal to your liking. No matter how unique or common, robust or flexible, fluid or sharp your cooking style may be, the egg reciprocates its appreciation for your style with an artistic dish known as the omelet.

Despite eggs being a part of almost all my breakfasts, I have fallen out of love for the original taste. Having eggs almost daily has drained my taste buds to the point where a simple omelet appears revolting.

My mom and dad have both made omelets for me my entire life that have been prepared with the internal gooey cheese and slightly crispy exterior that I love. Sided with classic Eastern European style brown bread (черный хлеб) and cucumbers (огурцы) with black tea and milk, my breakfast was complete. However, this meal repeated daily for years with very little variation created a bland feeling for my taste buds, and would later translate into distaste. I attempted to alter the sides, but the problem lay in my true canvas; the omelet. I had grown to lack appreciation for my canvas, so when it was my time to cook, I tried replicating the creativity of my parents. The phrase “my dish was cooked with love” usually refers to the failures, altercations, and pure dedication put into a dish. With that being said, my dish really did need an original source of love, but it had to do with my growth. My creativity needed to lie in my journey of growth, an ever-changing pallet, and the will to accept a new style.

For this recipe, you will need eggs. The omelet’s foundation is built upon the humble egg which we will manipulate to our preferred taste. We can’t be too careless with our work as creativity doesn’t allow for sloppiness, so when cracking the eggs, we make sure to leave out any part of the shell. The more egg you add, the thicker your omelet will be. Make sure to pour enough milk into your bowl of raw egg so that the hue of your canvas becomes a little lighter and the taste of your dish is a little creamier. I never used a whisk when making my dish because my parents never used whisks when they were younger. They got used to the fork-beat eggs that they had made before they immigrated to the US. The stirring is complete once there are no lumps or large discolorations in the bowl.

The heart of my omelet and my canvas lies in the ingredients I place inside. The slightly bitter, tarty skins of the tomato and the juice that soaks into the yellow soul of my dish dignifies my style. To represent myself in my dish, I need my statement. The tomato is the statement as it allows for parts of the omelet to keep its original nature while leaving bites in my meal that pack a punch in my mouth. Of course, there needs to be a balance. Too many tomatoes cut into heavy pieces will cause the omelet to fall apart and become a soup. The tomato cannot consume the dish, it must work with it. The tomato cannot consume who you are but supplement your ever-changing nature. The cheese is representative of the outside factors we can’t control. The fridge only has Colby jack, Cheddar, Mozzarella, or Harvarti at one time; we need to work with what we have. Take the cheese of your choice and break it into small pieces with your hands. For the final stroke of our brush, we will add the scallions. Scallions are dangerous; they are bold, consuming in nature, and leave you with bad breath. Accept the scallions’ ability to be controlling in your dish, and appreciate it for its nature. Control the stroke of your brush when cutting small pieces of scallion.

Once you have added your butter to the pan, added the egg mixture onto the pan, and placed small amounts of your various ingredients onto the egg solution (evenly spread out of course), you will need to leave your canvas to dry. Give it time to cook, and fold it in half when you feel it is ready. The sides are your choice, as this is your canvas.

The most important step is the will to change parts of your omelet tomorrow if it doesn’t sit well with you today.

Enjoy your art.

Mabuhay, mga kababayan! (If you don’t know Tagalog, feel free to google translate this or read until the end, it’ll make more sense)

Who doesn’t love the feeling of smelling bread freshly cooked from the oven, the aroma spreading throughout the entire house? With the amount of effort and time it takes to make it, calling it anything but a labor of love would severely be understating this wonderful bread. This filipino bread is a staple in every filipino household, including mine. Pandesal is a sweet bread that looks very similar to many bread rolls. It is typically covered in breadcrumbs and when you take a bite, breadcrumbs fall in every direction and you get this soft, heartwarming feeling inside of you. I may be biased, but my family makes the best pandesal, and makes different versions of it too, like coconut and ube.

Although this dish originated from a time where the Philippines were under colonization, it is so much more that. Pandesal was introduced while Filipinos were under Spanish colonial rule, which is very apparent in the bread’s name. “Pan” is Spanish for bread and “sal” is spanish for salt. So technically, the translation for Pandesal is salt bread. I’ve always found this funny, as pandesal is actually really sweet! However, it may have been different back then, especially in the 16th century. I like to think of this unique history of pandesal as another example of how optimistic Filipinos can be, using ingredients given by their colonizers (wheat and flour) and making something truly life-changing with it. Turning the bad into the good. Just like my ancestors before me, I wish to do good in the world, and I hope I can at least achieve that even a little by sharing this astounding and truly unforgettable piece of bread. My “labor of love”, in a way.

Pandesal has been the one constant of my life. It would be weird to say that I have some weird dependency on it, but I honestly do! When I started high school, it was hard, and my stomach became quite sensitive due to my anxiety. The only thing it could tolerate in the mornings was pandesal. I can’t live without it. My mom and I bonded over making this dish, because what’s better than making bread and gossiping in the late afternoon?

Don’t think of this bread as just breakfast food, because that would be offensive to many Filipinos, like you just cursed them out. I’m joking, of course (I’m not, beware). You can have pandesal for desert, for lunch, and even for dinner. There are so many things you can stuff it with, from ice cream, to traditional spreads (like nutella), pancit canton (filipino noodles), tuna, chicken, etc. The possibilities are endless.

Trust is very important to me, so I want to be honest with you all. I don’t make this bread all the time, as life gets busy, and I know many of you can relate. Sometimes, I go to my local Filipino store and buy some pandesal, which I know are still made with love, I promise! Some Filipinos may even go on to say that pandesal is their first love, which is quite possible. If you didn’t think love at first sight was possible, think again. Pandesal will have you in your feels with every bite.

What you’ll need :

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk (whole or 2%) – 1 minute in Microwave
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup melted margarine
• 1 tsp iodized salt
• 2 eggs (slightly beaten)
• 1 egg yolk (slightly beaten)
• 1 pack Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Instant Yeast plain breadcrumbs

1. Mix all ingredients for 15 minutes or until dough is smooth. Use dough mixer or better results.
2. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with cloth (tea cloth is best to use)
3. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
4. Divide dough into 24 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Put breadcrumbs first at the bottom of each ball so it will not stop the second rising of the dough. Place in a baking pan.
5. Cover with a tea cloth and let rise for 1 hour or 1 1/2 hours or until almost double in size.
6. Put breadcrumbs on top of each dough ball carefully.
7. Bake in 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy your pandesal! You are now a honorary filipino, a kababayan (even if you haven’t made it yet)!

Merry Christmas! Wait, hold on— I mean, Happy September! Throw out your Eggnog because after you try this recipe, you’ll never want Eggnog again. My mom immigrated to the United States from Jamaica in the 90s, so of course we keep many Jamaican holiday traditions, like making Sorrel. Sorrel is a traditional Christmas drink made from the Roselle plant. The Roselle plant is a type of Hibiscus plant that bears a crimson-red accessory fruit that we call Sorrel. Every year my mom makes this tasty drink for our Christmas dinners, and when I was little, I’d pretend to be none the wiser when she gave me a small taste of the rum-filled serving reserved for the adults. Despite my more formal example, Sorrel is a very versatile drink. It can be served at your boss’s office party in hopes that he finally gives you that promotion (let it go), or if you’re anything like my family, you’re going to be sipping a glass in the living room as you complain about the newest line of Hallmark Movies. Regardless of where you choose to drink it, I hope this Sorrel can bring as much joy as it has brought me.

You will need:

• Sorrel (You can find it in your closest Carribean store).
• Ginger (Preferably Jamaican Ginger. Trust me it’s better).
• Pimento (Allspice) Berries
• Cinnamon (Leaf or Stick)
• Wray& Nephew White Rum (Optional, and you can only use this brand).
• Sugar (Preferably Brown Sugar, but do whatever floats your boat).

1. Add the Sorrel to a pot of water along with the other spices and heat to a boil. You don’t need too much water, just enough to balance out the amount of Sorrel you have used. (Which should be the entire packet). Once the liquid comes to a boil, turn the heat down and let it simmer for ten minutes.
2. Turn off the stove and let it steep overnight, or at least twelve hours.
3. Strain and sweeten to taste.
4. When it comes to rum, I believe the more, the better. However, you can add as much or as little you like.

It is best served cold with Ice.

Hey hey! Today I’m going to talk about red beans, and why I think you should definitely try making them, especially as a college student (Hint: this recipe is super cheap to make!). Growing up one of my favorite dishes my mom made for my brother and I was red beans, rice, and chicken. Today we’re focusing solely on the red beans.

To me, red beans are like taking the perfect nap. For me personally, I suck at taking naps. I’ll say just 30 minutes, which either results in me feeling worse after 30 minutes, or sleeping for another 2 hours. But every now and then, I’ll hit the perfect nap. Not conking out for 2-3 hours, but only for half an hour to 45 minutes. Not waking up with that really uncomfortable post-nap taste in my mouth, but feeling like I didn’t even nap in the first place. Not disoriented, but fully energized and ready to take on everything else that I need to do for the day. Perfection. These red beans can give you that feeling every time, guaranteed. They’re so warm and comforting, and are packed with flavor that will fill you up ready to get back to work.

If I’m ever having a bad day, red beans are the go to. Good day? Red beans. Realllyyyy hungry? Red beans! Red beans have been there for me through thick and thin, for all the ups and downs, and will forever hold a special place in my heart.

I’ve been eating red beans ever since I was little, just like my mom. These red beans are my grandmas recipe, who used to make them for my mom, who now makes them for me. Hopefully I can do these red beans some justice and teach you how to make them. Without further ado, here’s what you’re going to need:

-any sort of oil (I use olive oil)
-1 can of Goya red kidney beans (or the dark red ones, they taste the same but look prettier once everything’s put together)
-scallions
-1 tomato
-a few cloves of garlic (or garlic powder if you’re lazy)
-Ketchup
-1 packet of Goya Sazón

All of my familys recipes are done based off of feel, not measurements, so feel free to adjust any of the above ingredients to your own liking. For me, I always start with cutting my tomatoes into thick halves, chopping my scallions, and finely dicing my garlic.

I pour some olive oil into a pot on medium heat, and start with putting my garlic in the pot. After a minute or so, I add my scallions, and after another minute or so, my tomatoes. I add them in this order so that the softer ingredients don’t get too mushy from the heat, especially the tomatoes. We’re going to want them to keep the majority of their texture.

At this point, I’ll add my can of red beans along with the juice in the can. Don’t drain the juice in the can! At this point I’ll add my packet of sazòn and s good amount of ketchup, and stir everything up. I’ll leave the beans on the medium heat for a few minutes, just until I can see that the sauce that’s formed isn’t liquidy and has thickened up. Depending on how hungry I am, I’ll either take the beans off the stove and dive in, or crank the heat down to low and let them sit for another minute. And that’s it!

Pair these beans with some plain white rice and I guarantee you your life will change forever. Enjoy!