Bandeja Paisa

The story

Bandeja Paisa is a Colombian main with a clear sense of place. Bandeja paisa is strongly associated with Antioquia and the coffee-growing region. It evolved from hearty rural meals intended to sustain labourers and became one of Colombia’s most internationally recognised dishes. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 350 g dried red beanssoaked overnight
• 500 g pork bellyskin scored
• 4 piece Colombian chorizo
• 400 g beef mince
• 300 g white rice
• 2 piece ripe plantainssliced lengthways
• 4 piece eggs
• 4 piece small white arepas
• 2 piece avocadoquartered
• 250 g tomatoesfor hogao
• 120 g Spring onionsfor hogao
• 10 g Garlic
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 40 ml neutral oil

Method

1. Simmer the soaked beans in fresh water

   Simmer the soaked beans in fresh water until almost tender, about 75 minutes. Make hogao by slowly cooking spring onion, tomato and garlic; stir half into the beans and simmer another 15 minutes until creamy and well seasoned.

   Look for: almost tender, about 75 minutes Tip: Treat it as a coordinated menu, not one recipe: prepare beans and hogao first, keep cooked components warm, and fry egg and plantain last. Avoid: Trying to finish every component simultaneously causes chaos; under-rendered pork belly gives rubbery skin; watery beans spread across the plate.

2. For chicharrón, place scored pork belly skin-side

   For chicharrón, place scored pork belly skin-side down in a heavy pan with 100 ml water. Cook until the water evaporates and fat renders, then turn and fry in its own fat until the skin is blistered and the meat browned.

   Look for: the water evaporates and fat renders, then turn and fry in its own fat until the skin is blistered and the meat browned

3. Cook the rice separately until fluffy

   Cook the rice separately until fluffy. Brown the beef mince with cumin and a few spoonfuls of hogao until savoury and fairly dry rather than saucy.

   Look for: fluffy

4. Grill or pan-fry the chorizos until cooked

   Grill or pan-fry the chorizos until cooked through. Fry the plantain slices in a little rendered pork fat or neutral oil until deeply caramelised. Warm the arepas.

   Look for: cooked through

5. Fry the eggs sunny-side up, keeping the

   Fry the eggs sunny-side up, keeping the yolks soft. Slice the avocado only just before plating so it stays fresh.

6. Build each bandeja generously

   Build each bandeja generously: beans and rice first, then beef, chicharrón, chorizo, plantain, egg, arepa and avocado. Serve extra hogao at the side rather than pouring it over everything.

   Look for: Beans are creamy, chicharrón skin is crisp, meats are cooked through and hot, and rice remains separate-grained.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.