Bandeja Paisa (Antioquia's Hearty Platter)
From: Colombia
Servings:
1 complete bandeja (2 generous portions)
Difficulty:
Medium
Ingredients
- For the platter: 1 cup cooked white rice
- 1 cup red or cargamanto beans (cooked with pork)
- 200g ground beef (seasoned and cooked)
- 150g chicharrón (fried pork belly), crispy
- 1 chorizo, pan-fried
- 1 egg, fried sunny-side up
- 1 ripe plantain, sliced and deep-fried until golden
- 1 arepa antioqueña (white corn flatbread), warmed
- ½ avocado, sliced
- Simple salad: lettuce, tomato, onion
- For beans: 500g red beans, cooked; 200g pork (bacon or shoulder); 1 onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic; cilantro; salt and pepper
Instructions
- BEANS: Soak beans overnight. Cook in water with bay leaf until tender, 2-3 hours. In parallel, cook pork pieces with onion and garlic until soft. Combine cooked beans with pork, adjust seasoning.
- RICE: Cook white rice separately.
- MEATS:
- - Brown seasoned ground beef in a pan.
- - Fry chicharrón slowly in its own fat until skin is puffed and very crispy, 20-30 minutes.
- - Pan-fry or grill chorizo until cooked through.
- PLANTAIN: Slice ripe plantain lengthwise into 1cm strips. Deep-fry at 350°F until golden and caramelized on both sides.
- EGG: Fry in a separate skillet sunny-side up just before serving.
- AREPA: Warm or grill the arepa antioqueña (white corn) until warmed through.
- ASSEMBLE on a large platter or tray:
- - Mound of white rice in center
- - Large ladle of beans beside or on the rice
- - Portions of ground beef, chicharrón, and chorizo arranged around
- - Fried plantain strips
- - Fried egg on top of rice or beans
- - Warm arepa on the side
- - Avocado slices and salad
- SERVE hot and hearty.