Gallo Pinto is a traditional breakfast in Costa Rica
Gallo Pinto – Recipe for 4 people
Bring the flavors of Costa Rica to your own home by cooking this traditional Costa Rican recipe of Gallo Pinto.
Ingredients
For the Tortillas
2 cups pre-cooked white corn flour (P.A.N Pre-Cooked white maize meal)
2,5 cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt
For the Rice & Beans
400-gram pre-cooked black beans
2 cups of rice
4 cups of water
Fresh cilantro
2 chopped onions
2 chopped bell peppers
1 Stack Celery
2 pieces of garlic (crushed in a garlic press or chopped)
A bit of salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
For the serving
4-8 eggs
Lizano Salsa* or Worcestershire Sauce
Sour cream
Preparation
For the Rice & Beans
1. Put the tablespoons of olive oil in the pan, add the 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water in this cooking pot, boil on low fire until the water is evaporated and you see little holes on the rice surface. Or use a rice cooker.
2. Put the beans in another cooking pot, add the liquid of the beans, add water until the beans are fully covered in water, 1 cm water above the beans. Add the chopped onions, bell pepper, crushed garlic, 2 strings of fresh chopped cilantro, and two tablespoons of Lizano Salsa or Worcestershire Sauce. Bring to boil and let it all softly boil for 30 minutes until the beans and vegetables are soft.
3. Add the beans and vegetables spoon by spoon together with the cooking broth until everything is mixed and the rice has a dark color
Tortillas
While the beans are softly boiling you can make the tortillas
1. Pour the water into a bowl and add the salt and maize meal slowly while steering.
2. Knead with your fingers until a smooth dough is formed and let rest for 3 minutes.
3. Role the dough into small balls.
4. Press the balls with a tortilla press or between two cutting boards (place plastic or baking paper to prevent the dough from sticking to the boards).
5. Bake the tortilla in a frying pan without oil on both sides until it turned a bit brown, but not too long and has no high fire, because then the tortilla gets too hard and dry.
6. Keep warm under a cloth until the Rice & Beans are ready for serving.
Eggs
Simply fry or scramble the eggs, depending on your preference.
Serving
We always fill a small bowl with the Rice & Beans and turn it upside down on the plate for serving.
Add small bowls with sour cream and Lizano Salsa/Worcestershire Sauce. You can eat the rice and beans by putting them on top of your tortilla together with the sour cream and extra cilantro and salsa to your taste. Together with the scrambled or fried egg.
Let us know if you liked the recipe or in case you need any cooking tips from José (Caracara Travels’ owner and “cooking chef”)
* Salsa Lizano is a sauce from Costa Rica with a very special flavor. It is not spicy and can be used for a variety of dishes, especially gallo pinto. In many countries you can not buy it, so you can use Worcestershire sauce as a substitute)
