Gallo pinto recipe

Day-old rice speckled brown by black bean broth and seasoned with salsa Lizano, the sauce Costa Ricans treat as non-negotiable.

12 hours and 45 minuteseasy8 ingredients

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp salsa Lizano
• 400 g black beans
• 500 g day old white rice
• 120 ml bean cooking broth
• 1 onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 clove garlic

How to make Gallo pinto

1. Use 500 g of white rice cooked the day before and chilled; fresh warm rice turns to paste in the pan.
2. Sweat 1 chopped onion, 1 diced red bell pepper and 2 minced garlic cloves in 2 tbsp oil over medium heat for 6-8 minutes.
3. Add 400 g of cooked black beans with 120 ml of their dark cooking liquid. That liquid is what dyes the grains, so do not rinse the beans.
4. Stir in 3 tbsp of salsa Lizano and let it bubble 2 minutes; without it this is rice and beans, not gallo pinto.
5. Fold in the cold rice, breaking up the clumps, and cook 5-8 minutes over medium heat until the liquid is absorbed and every grain is speckled.
6. Off the heat, stir through a generous handful of chopped cilantro.
7. Serve it for breakfast with a fried egg, fried ripe plantain, natilla and a corn tortilla.

Get Copper on the App Store

More dishes from Costa Rica →