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Casado vegetariano
Costa Rican 'married' lunch plate of rice, black beans, sweet plantain, cabbage salad, picadillo and a fried egg
Walk into any soda (small family diner) in San José at lunchtime and the board will offer a casado: one plate where rice and beans are 'married' to salad, sweet plantain and a main. The meatless version is just as common, with a fried egg and a slice of fresh white cheese, plus a little picadillo of chopped vegetables. It's a full, balanced lunch, and every element is simple. Chef's tip: cook the plantain only when it's deeply black-skinned and soft; ripe plantain caramelises to sticky dark edges, green plantain just goes dry.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the rice and beans
For the picadillo
For the plate
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat, add half of 1 onion and fry for 2 minutes. Add 10 ½ oz long-grain white rice and stir for 1 minute until the grains turn opaque. Pour in 2 ½ cups water and 1 tsp of 1 tsp salt, bring to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 18 minutes, then rest off the heat with the lid on.
22 minStep 2: Meanwhile, warm 1 ¾ lb cooked black beans with their liquid in a pan with the rest of the onion and half of 0.5 bunch fresh coriander. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until slightly thickened but still brothy.
10 minStep 3: For the picadillo, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add 1 chayote or courgette, 1 potato, 1 carrot and 1 clove garlic with a pinch of the remaining ½ tsp salt, cover and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring now and then, until the potato is tender when pressed. Uncover and stir in the rest of the coriander.
12 minStep 4: Toss 7 oz white cabbage and 2 tomatoes with 1 lime juice and a pinch of salt for the salad.
Step 5: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 2 very ripe plantains for 3–4 minutes per side until deep amber with dark, sticky edges. Lift out onto kitchen paper. Common mistake: frying on high heat; the sugar burns before the middle softens.
8 minStep 6: In the same pan, fry 4 eggs to your liking and warm 5 ½ oz fresh white cheese (queso fresco or halloumi) for a minute per side.
4 minStep 7: Build each plate: a mound of rice, a ladle of beans beside it, the picadillo, plantain, salad, an egg and the cheese.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 112 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 18 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does casado vegetariano take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of long-grain white rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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