Black Beans with Rice and Fried Plantains

1. Wash the beans in a strainer and leave them overnight in cold water to soften. The next day pour off the water and boil them under a lid in fresh water. Cook covered 1 1/2 - 2 h until soft, adding boiling water if needed.
2. Boil the rice in boiling salted water according to the package instructions.
3. Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Remove the seeds of the peppers and chilies, dice the peppers into cubes and chop the chilies. Fry them for 5-8 min together with the onion and garlic in 2 tbsp hot oil. Season with the cumin and salt. Add the drained beans and rice and fry 2-3 min, stirring.
4. Meanwhile peel the cooking bananas (plantains) and cut them into slices 1 cm thick. Heat the remaining oil in a pot until bubbles start to rise along the handle of a wooden spoon placed in it. Deep-fry the banana slices in batches in the oil for about 1 min, until they turn light yellow.
5. Remove the banana slices and leave them on kitchen paper to absorb the fat, then press them between 2 cutting boards to flatten them and deep-fry them once more for 1 min, until they turn brown. Leave them to drain, salt them lightly and garnish the beans with rice with them.

Tips: Tomato salsa and sour cream go well with the dish. The dish can be prepared faster if canned black or red beans are used. You can serve the beans with rice as a side dish to a meat or fish ragout.