Frijoles Paisas
Red beans the Antioquian way: kidney beans (or cargamanto) slow-cooked with a chunk of green plantain (which thickens the broth into a velvet texture), pork belly, chorizo, hogao and a final splash of lime. The bean dish at the centre of the bandeja paisa.
Overview
Dried red beans soak overnight. Bacon and chorizo render in a wide pot; aromatics build the base; soaked beans simmer with a chunk of green plantain (the trick, it dissolves over the cook and naturally thickens the broth) and pork belly for 2 hours. Hogao folds in at the end. Lime brightens.
Ingredients
- 500 g dried red kidney beans (or cargamanto)
- 200 g smoked streaky bacon (or pancetta, cut into 1 cm cubes)
- 1 chorizo (Spanish or Colombian-style, sliced thick)
- 200 g cured pork belly (or hock, in 1 piece)
- 1 onion (large, chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 green plantain (medium, peeled, cut into 4 chunks)
- 1 carrot (chopped, optional)
- 2 fresh tomatoes (grated)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 ½ litres hot stock (or water, top up as needed)
- 4 tablespoons Hogao
- 1 lime (juice)
- 3 tablespoons fresh coriander (chopped, to finish)
Method
Stage 1 - Soak
- Rinse beans; cover with cold water by 5 cm; soak overnight.
- Drain.
Stage 2 - Render and brown
- Heat a wide tall pot. Add bacon; render 6 minutes.
- Add chorizo and pork belly; brown lightly.
Stage 3 - Aromatics
- Add onion; cook 8 minutes until soft.
- Add garlic, cumin, oregano; cook 30 seconds.
- Add grated tomato; cook 4 minutes.
Stage 4 - Beans
- Add the drained beans, plantain chunks, carrot, salt, pepper, and hot stock.
- Bring to a simmer; skim.
- Cover; cook on low 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, stirring occasionally and topping up with hot water if needed, until beans are soft and the plantain has dissolved into the broth, thickening it.
Stage 5 - Pork
- Lift the whole piece of pork belly out; chop into bite-sized pieces; return.
Stage 6 - Finish
- Stir in hogao.
- Simmer uncovered 10 more minutes to thicken further.
- Stir in lime juice; taste; adjust salt.
Stage 7 - Serve
- Tip into a wide serving bowl. Scatter coriander.
- Eat alongside bandeja paisa, or as a meal on its own with rice and an arepa.
Notes
- Green plantain trick: The plantain dissolves into the broth, releasing starch - gives the characteristic velvet texture that paisas use to thicken instead of flour or roux.
- Pork stays in: Don't chop the pork belly upfront; the whole piece flavours the broth slowly. Chop only at the end.
- Cargamanto: The Antioquian heirloom red-and-white bean. Hard to find outside Colombia. Kidney beans are the right substitute.
Storage
- Refrigerate 5 days; better on day 2.
- Freezes 3 months.
Recipes mentioned here
Bandeja Paisa
Each component cooks separately and arrives on the same wide platter: braised red beans (frijoles paisas); white long-grain rice; fried pork belly (chicharrón); grilled or fried chorizo; sliced grilled steak; ripe plantain fried sweet; an egg sunny-side up; ½ avocado; an arepa de maíz.
Hogao
Long spring onion (cebolla larga) and white onion are softened in oil; garlic, cumin and annatto come in; grated tomato cooks down 15 minutes until thick and sticky. Seasoned and rested. The texture is somewhere between a sauce and a paste, spoonable but coating.
More like this
Frijoles Charros
Pinto beans are soaked overnight, then simmered with onion and garlic until tender. A separate pan crisps the bacon, browns the chorizo and softens the onion, jalapeño and tomato into a thick base. The two are combined for a final simmer with coriander, and the broth turns smoky, salty and rich. Eaten by the spoonful from a bowl, or set out alongside grilled meats and tortillas.
Couscous Royale
Lamb and chicken poach slowly in a saffron-tomato broth with chunks of root vegetables and chickpeas. Merguez sausages grill or fry separately. Couscous steams (or is rehydrated quickly with hot broth and butter). Everything plates separately on a vast platter; diners build their own bowls and slick with harissa.
Pollo Con Tajadas
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Empanadas Colombianas
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