This dish is believed to originate from slaves from Africa in colonial times. It was a creative use of leftover beans and rice, spiced with hot pepper and garlic, and served with pork, beef, or an egg, and slices of fried plantain. Usually it is formed into a patty shape, pancake, or tortilla, and then fried crisp in oil. Don’t worry too much about the exact measurements, you can’t really go wrong with fried rice and beans!
Thank you Liz for sharing your delicious recipe with us!
Ingredients:
1 lb bag dried canary or pinto beans, or your favorite bean
¼ cup olive oil
1 lb cooked rice
2 Tlbs oil or cooking spray
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 Tlbs of aji amarillo paste (find online or at a Mexican grocery store)
salt, pepper and oregano
Soak the beans over night and rinse several times. Put them in a large pot with ample water and the olive oil (original recipe calls for lard if you want to be authentic…I went healthy here) and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Once cool, smash the beans with a wooden spoon until it forms a purée. Set aside. While beans are cooling, sauté the onions in 2 Tlbs of oil, or Pam. Once the onion is translucent add minced garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and aji amarillo. (I used 6 Tlbs to give it a little more kick.) Once the onion is well-cooked, remove from heat and add the cooked rice and mix well. Stir in the beans and add salt and pepper as desired.
Here is where the fun starts. Take a big spoonful of the mixture and put in a non-stick fry pan with some cooking spray or a little oil. Flip the mixture several times until it makes an oval shaped pancake, and is golden brown. As you can see below one of our landed on the stove! Don't be discouraged, it gets easier with each one and comes out great. Give it a try!
Makes 16-20 servings. Use leftovers for breakfast with some eggs on it. For 4 servings use 1 cup of rice and 1 can of beans. Adjust seasonings accordingly. ENJOY!
! This recipe makes 16 servings. For 4 servings use 1 cup rice and 1 can of beans. we icons above.