Mexican Refried Beans
Mexican Fasting Recipes Budget Recipes Side Dishes Vegetables
Mexican refried beans (frijoles refritos) is the other traditional Mexican side dish I mentioned in the Spanish rice recipe. It's similar to our traditional mashed beans, but seems livelier due to the spices used and the aroma is slightly different. Plus we use roasted garlic, so it's not heavy on the stomach.
Normally this recipe uses pinto beans, but I didn't know you could find them here, actually I didn't even look, so I used red kidney beans. Yesterday though, while looking for chickpeas at the Naturland health food store near Central, I spotted a bag of pinto beans. 😊 How nice, we're getting better and better supplied in Cluj - if they bring masa harina (corn flour) we'll make tortillas too! Let's hope someone from the store reads this post 😉
Ingredients
400g dried red kidney beans (or pinto beans)
1 head of roasted garlic
2 canned tomatoes or very ripe fresh ones
120ml sunflower oil
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon cumin (or Mexican seasoning)
oregano
2 teaspoons salt
pepper
How to prepare mexican refried beans
- Put the beans to cook in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes. If you don't have a pressure cooker, boil them in plenty of water for at least 2 hours. If the water level drops, add hot water. Don't add salt while the beans are boiling!
* you can change the water on the beans 2 times during cooking, but each time add hot water to continue cooking.
** if you soak the beans overnight, the cooking time will be shorter. - When the beans are cooked, drain some of the water - leave just enough water in the pot to cover the beans.
- Add the roasted garlic cloves, tomatoes, oil, bay leaves and the rest of the seasonings to taste. Only now add the salt. Mix well and simmer over low heat until the water evaporates and the beans become mushy, approximately 1 hour. Stir frequently so they don't stick to the bottom.
- Mash the beans with a potato masher. If you want them smoother, you can blend them with a food processor.
- Serve as a side dish.
Simmer for another hour with seasonings
Mexican Refried Beans
