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Frijoles colados
Frijoles colados yucatecos: silky strained black beans with epazote and fried onion
Every cocina económica and family kitchen in Mérida keeps a pot of frijoles colados for the midday meal, the smooth, almost soupy black beans that sit beside cochinita, poc chuc, eggs or simply rice and tortillas across the Yucatán. The beans are cooked soft with epazote, pushed through a sieve, then simmered with onion fried until sweet. Traditionally the onion is fried in pork lard; this version uses oil so it is vegan. The usual mistake is straining beans that are not fully cooked, which gives a gritty, floury purée, so cook them until they crush with no effort. Chef's tip: drop a whole habanero into the simmering purée for 5 minutes for perfume without much heat, then fish it out.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 14 oz dried black beanspicked over, rinsed and soaked overnight
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 1 white onionhalf left whole, half thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlicpeeled
- 2 sprigs epazoteor 1 tsp dried
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 habanero chilli (optional)left whole
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain the soaked 14 oz dried black beans and put them in a large pot with the 8 ¼ cups water, the unsliced half of the ½ white onion and the 3 cloves garlic. Bring to the boil and boil hard for 10 minutes, skimming off the foam.
15 minStep 2: Lower the heat, add the 2 sprigs epazote and simmer with the lid ajar for 1½ hours, topping up with hot water so the beans stay covered. Add the 1 ½ tsp salt in the last 20 minutes. Pressure cooker: 35 minutes at high pressure after the 10-minute boil.
90 minStep 3: The beans are ready when they crush to a paste between your fingers with no chalky centre. Remove the onion and epazote.
2 minStep 4: Blend the beans with their liquid until smooth, then press through a sieve into a bowl with the back of a ladle. You should have a pourable purée like thick cream; add hot water if it is too thick.
8 minStep 5: Rinse the pot and heat the 3 tbsp vegetable oil over a medium heat. Fry the sliced ½ white onion for 6–8 minutes until soft and deep golden.
8 minStep 6: Pour the purée onto the onion (it will spit), add the 1 habanero chilli if using, and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't catch, until it coats a spoon. Remove the habanero and serve hot.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 14 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does frijoles colados take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 110 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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 dried black beans?
- Kidney or pinto beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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