Traditional Costa Rican breakfast
We present here a personal recipe for this great Costa Rican gastronomic classic: Gallo Pinto.
This recipe is the result of countless gallo pinto tastings during our tours, inspections, vacations and other visits to the heart of Costa Rica.
Ingredients
- A bouquet of coriander
- 2 clovesgarlic
- 1 onion
- 1 red bell pepper (or green or yellow to taste)
- 50 ml of Lizano sauce (not required)
- 2 tablespoonssunflower or rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp. cumin powdered
- Salt and pepper
- 450 grams of long grain rice
- 275 gr of black beans
- 100 g juice black beans (sauce recovered from cooking beans)
Note: the secret touch, add a little
liquid coffee.
It's a good idea to add celery too, even if it's not part of the original recipe.
Traditionally, this breakfast was prepared with the rest of the previous day's meal.
Rice and black beans. Indeed, these two ingredients are never missing from a Costa Rican's table.
Grandmothers will tell you that the secret of an excellent gallo pinto lies in cooking the beans.
If you have a can of black beans in your possession, the juice in the can will do, with the addition of a little water.
Otherwise, we recommend preparing the beans the day before.
Preparing the beans :
Rinse beans in fresh water to remove impurities.
Leave to soak :
- Option 1: Soak overnight (6-8 hours) in a covered pot filled with water.
- Option 2: In a casserole dish filled with water, bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes.
Then turn off the heat and leave to stand for an hour.
This step helps to eliminate any gas from the beans, and will make your recipe more delicate.
Cooking beans
Drain water from soaked beans.
Place the beans in a saucepan and add water until the beans are about one phalanx longer.
Add bay leaf, thyme and crushed but unpeeled garlic. You can add any other spices you like to give your beans flavor. It's this base that will make your Gallo Pinto a success.
Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer until the beans are tender.
The beans are ready when they can be easily mashed with a fork. This usually takes 45min to 1h.
Add the salt once the beans are cooked.
Preparing Gallo Pinto
Finely chop onion and bell pepper.
Pour the oil into the pan and add the cumin powder and finely chopped garlic.
Sauté onion until translucent. Add the peppers.
Add peppers and sauté.
Pour the cooked rice and beans into the pan, stirring gently so as not to split the beans.
Add 100gr of the cooking juices from the beans.
Cook slowly.
If the gallo pinto becomes too dry, add more bean juice. If you run out, a cup of coffee will do the trick and add flavor. (If you like coffee, of course).
Add finely chopped coriander before serving.
If you have Lizano sauce, also known as English sauce, use as much as you like. Be careful, though, as this sauce is very strong in flavor, so just a few drops are enough. It's hard to find in France, but a few specialized grocery stores sell it. If you have friends going away
Costa RicaDon't hesitate to ask.
Support
Gallo pinto is usually accompanied by fried plantain, cheese, fried (or scrambled) egg and, of course, a good Costa Rican coffee.
