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Columbian-Inspired Bandeja Paisa with Rice, Beans, Fried Plantains, and Spicy Chorizo

Part of the joy of cooking for me involves the ability to create and experiment with
flavors and ingredients from different regions of the world. Craving Thai, Indian,
or Mexican, no problem! With the rise of specialty grocery stores and increasing
availability of ingredients online, you can teach yourself some famous staple
dishes that are amazing!
Bandeja Paisa, a signature dish from the region of Antioquia in Colombia, is a
hearty entrée platter composed of staple ingredients, including rice, beans,
plantains, and spicy chorizo.

Ingredients

For the Hogao Sauce:

  • 2 tomatoes (medium dice)
  • 1 large onion (small dice)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

For the Remaining Dish Components:

  • 1 cup white rice
  • 1.5 cups water
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 cup black or red beans (soaked in water overnight)
  • 1 or 2 tsp Kosher salt (or salting the beans)
  • 2 ripe plantains (peeled and cut into slices)
  • 4 spicy uncooked chorizo sausages
  • ½ cup hogao (Colombian tomato and onion sauce)
  • 4 whole eggs (fried sunny-side up)
  • 1 avocado (cut into slices)
  • 1 lime (cut into wedges)
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions 

  • The day before you plan to make this dish, soak the dried beans overnight in a large quantity of cold water.

For the Hogao Sauce:

  • To prepare the hogao, heat some vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat.
  • Add the onions and garlic, and sauté the vegetables while stirring until they are soft and translucent, about ten minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes, and cook for twenty minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened and the flavors are well combined.
  • Taste, and season with Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper.
  • Set the Hogao sauce aside for later.
  • When you are ready to start cooking, prepare the beans and rice.
  • For the rice, rinse the rice under cold water for a few minutes until the water runs clear.
  • In a rice cooking pot, bring the 1.5 cups water to a boil.
  • Add the rice, and a pinch of salt.
  • Reduce the heat to the lowest setting on your stove, and cover the rice tightly with a lid or with aluminum foil.
  • Let the rice steam for roughly 16 minutes on low heat, and then remove from the stove.
  • Fluff the rice grains gently with a fork, and cover again with aluminum foil while you prepare the remaining dish components.
  • For the beans, drain the soaked beans and place them in a large pot.
  • Cover with fresh water, bring to a boil with a teaspoon or two of Kosher salt, then reduce heat and simmer for about 90 minutes, or until the beans are completely tender.
  • Mix the beans with the hogao sauce and continue to cook on low heat.
  • While the beans are finishing cooking with the hogao, heat up some vegetable oil in a separate saute pan over medium-high heat.
  • Add the sliced plantains, and fry them until they're golden brown on both sides.
  • Remove the golden-brown plantains from the hot oil, and drain them on paper towels.
  • In the same saute pan, reduce the heat to medium, add another splash of vegetable oil, and add the chorizo sausages.
  • Saute the chorizo sausages on medium heat until they are fully cooked.
  • To assemble the Columbian-inspired Bandeja Paisa, place a scoop of rice on one side of the plate, and a scoop of beans on the other side.
  • Arrange the fried plantains and chorizo sausages around the rice and beans.
  • Top the beans with a fried egg, and garnish with a slice of avocado and a lime wedge.
  • Serve warm.

Notes

You can add a wide variety of additional items to this dish, including chicharron (fried pork belly), arepa (corn cakes), or cooked ground meat.
If you have extra plantains are don’t know what to do with them, trying making some twice-fried tostones inspired by the Dominican Republic as a quick snack!