Bandeja Paisa

Bandeja Paisa (Colombian Paisa Platter)

The signature platter of Colombia's Antioquia region: a generous mound of red beans, white rice, seasoned ground beef, crispy chicharrón, chorizo, fried egg, sweet plantain, avocado and an arepa. Serve it on a single large plate and let everyone dig in family-style.

Prep

30 min

Cook

120 min

Total

150 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) dried red beans (cargamanto or kidney), soaked overnight, or 2 × 400 g cans drained as a shortcut
• •250 g (9 oz) pork belly, skin-on, for chicharrón, cut into 4 cm / 1½ in pieces
• •400 g (14 oz) ground beef (20% fat)
• •300 g (10½ oz) fresh Colombian-style chorizo, or Spanish-style chorizo if unavailable
• •400 g (14 oz) white rice, short-grain preferred
• •2 whole ripe plantains, black-skinned; yellow will not caramelize properly
• •4 whole eggs
• •4 whole small white corn arepas, store-bought or homemade
• •2 whole ripe avocados
• •1 large white onion, finely chopped
• •3 cloves garlic, minced
• •2 tbsp vegetable oil
• •500 ml (2 cups) beef or pork broth, for the beans
• •1 tsp ground cumin
• •1 tsp dried oregano
• •1 leaf bay leaf
• •salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps

1. 1 Drain the soaked beans, cover with fresh water and simmer with the bay leaf for 60 to 75 minutes until tender; drain, reserving 250 ml / 1 cup of cooking liquid. If using canned beans, skip to the next step.
2. 2 Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy pot over medium. Sauté half the onion and half the garlic for 3 to 4 minutes until translucent. Add the beans, reserved cooking liquid (or broth), cumin, oregano and 1 tsp salt. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, then mash about a third of the beans against the side of the pot with a spoon to thicken the broth into a creamy stew (sopa de frijoles). Keep warm.
3. 3 Pat the pork belly pieces dry and season generously with salt. Place them in a cold heavy skillet, skin-side down, set over medium heat and cook without moving for 12 to 15 minutes so the fat renders and the skin puffs and crisps. Turn and cook another 8 to 10 minutes until deeply golden and the interior reads 80 C / 175 F on an instant-read thermometer. Drain on paper towels.
4. 4 While the pork cooks, place the chorizo links in a separate skillet with 2 tbsp water over medium heat. Once the water evaporates, add 1 tsp oil and brown the chorizo on all sides, about 8 minutes total, until the internal temperature reaches 71 C / 160 F.
5. 5 For the ground beef, heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add the remaining onion and garlic, cook 3 minutes, then add the beef. Break it up with a spoon, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of cumin, and cook 8 to 10 minutes until fully browned and no pink remains.
6. 6 Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then cook with 600 ml / 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt: bring to a boil, cover, reduce to the lowest heat and steam 18 minutes. Rest off the heat, covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff.
7. 7 Peel the plantains by slicing off the ends and scoring the skin lengthwise. Cut on a sharp diagonal into 1 cm / 1/2 in slices. Fry in 1 cm / 1/2 in of oil over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side until deep golden and caramelized. Drain on paper towels.
8. 8 Fry the eggs sunny-side up or over-easy in a little oil until the whites are fully set and no runny white remains, about 3 minutes. Cook the yolks through until they are thickened rather than runny, or use pasteurised eggs if you prefer a soft yolk. Serve them straight from the pan.
9. 9 To assemble, mound the rice on one side of a large platter and the beans on the other. Arrange the chicharrón, chorizo, ground beef, fried plantain, a fried egg, avocado slices and a small arepa in separate piles around the rice and beans. Serve immediately with lime wedges and ají (Colombian tomato-pepper sauce) on the side.