Changing up red beans and rice may seem like a sacrilege to a New Orleans cuisine traditionalist, but in reality, improvisation with New Orleans dishes is itself a tradition.
And though — or perhaps, because of — being a time-tested dish, red beans and rice can show up on menus in interesting ways, showcasing new ideas.
A Bean-Based Cocktail That Breaks All Rules
At Muy Pwa in Beanlandia, Chef Maya Mastersson concocts not one, but two new red beans and rice variations, and even a cocktail.
That’s right, a red beans and rice cocktail. Consisting of toasted rice-infused mezcal, “trinity” bitters and a red bean syrup that Mastersson makes, it’s finished with Tony Chachere’s on the rim and a specialty ice cube — another Mastersson creation — that has red beans, rice and a bay leaf in it.
“It’s a savory drink,” says Mastersson, adding, “Every cocktail, every dish has at least one bean type in it,” about the restaurant’s offerings.
When Mastersson opened Muy Pwa in Beanlandia in early October 2024, her goal was a menu focusing on beans, as Beanlandia is a community center and museum founded by the Krewe of Red Beans, renowned for its Lundi Gras march wearing bean-adorned costumes, as well as its philanthropic activities such as Feed the Second Line.
From Sicily to New Orleans: The Art of Bean-Based Innovation
“We were excited to find a creative and unique chef to bring on like Maya. She’s a great fit in our little bean universe,” says Krewe of Red Beans and Beanlandia founder Devin De Wulf.
To create this bean-centric menu, Mastersson did extensive research about New Orleans cuisine, as well as global flavors. “I wanted it to be a cohesive menu with a theme … without it being all over the place,” she says.
Mastersson submerged herself “in the history of beans, the science of beans … how they grow, what cultures use them, how they use them, how they are eating them … things like that.”
Mastersson aimed to source locally or close by, which led her to use Camellia Beans, which in addition to its red kidney beans, she uses the white beans, black beans and black-eyed peas.
Among the menu’s highlights is the red beans and rice arancini, which is a blend of two culinary traditions: New Orleans’ favorite Monday dish and arancini, a rice ball that is stuffed, coated in breadcrumbs, then deep-fried which has its origin in Sicily.
“At its base,” Mastersson says about the dish, “it is literally a fried ball of red beans and rice.”
She starts by making the red beans, then when done, adds rice to that same pot. While the rice cooks, it absorbs most of that liquid, a vegetable stock made with leftover scraps accumulated during prep.
Nutritional yeast is added “to give it that meaty, umami flavor,” she says.
Sweet, Savory, and Everything in Between
The rice ends up very soft, making it easier to make into small balls. She freezes them — to hold the shape — before they are breaded and fried to order. Served with a Crystal remoulade sauce to add a little bit of kick, it is crunchy on the outside, full of red beans and rice flavor on the inside.
It is a vegan dish, says Mastersson, but it still has a smoky flavor due to the liquid smoke she adds, not due to a smoked meat often found in traditional red beans and rice.
The Azuki red beans and rice ice cream is her other culinary spin on this dish. The red beans are cooked in milk, and while doing that, she makes a custard. She adds that to the red beans, then blends it into an ice cream, making it very rich, says Mastersson.
“I wanted the menu to be a multicultural celebration of the legume,” she says. And at Muy Pwa, Mastersson does just that.
*Muy Pwa, at Beanlandia, 3300 Royal St., kreweofredbeans.org; Hours: Wed.-Sun., 5 p.m.-9 p.m.*