Gallo pinto is a fantastic dish that is from Central America. It literally translates to “spotted rooster.” Despite its name it’s actually a completely meat-free dish. It is a vegetarian as well as vegan-friendly dish made of various herbs, rice and beans. It gets it’s name from its speckled appearance when served. It looks similar to the feather coloration on some roosters and chickens.
This particular recipe will serve 4 to 6 people and takes about an hour and 25 minutes to prepare and cook. Prep actually takes the longest and will run you about an hour then cooking is only 25 minutes or so.
Ingredients
14 ounces of cooked rice
14 ounces of black beans
5 ounces of the leftover liquid from cooking the black beans
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 of a green pepper, chopped and seeded
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of your preferred hot sauce
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of coriander
salt and pepper
Supplies And Tools
1 saucepan
wooden spoon
knife for prep
Onions, Garlic And Peppers
Warm the oil through in your saucepan over medium heat. Once it is hot then add your diced onion and let it cook for several minutes until it starts gaining a little color. Stir it a little as it fries. Then add in the garlic and green pepper. Sweat all of these ingredients for a few more minutes.
Other Ingredients
Next, you want to add in the rice and the black beans to the pan. The rice and beans should both be cooked and you can use whatever type of rice you prefer. White rice is fine, brown and yellow are also great choices. Incorporate in the cumin and hot sauce then season it with salt and pepper to taste. You’ll likely notice that the mixture looks a bit dry and this is when you add in the liquid you reserved from when you cooked the black beans. Mix everything together well and let it warm completely through. Finally, mix in the coriander.
Serving Gallo Pinto
Gallo pinto makes an excellent side dish, but it can also be an entree if you accompany it with other sides. It is actually a common breakfast dish in places like Nicaragua. Serve it with bread or with a side of fresh greens like kale. Avocado slices are great as well and you can even wrap it up in a tortilla for a breakfast burrito. It can also be eaten plain.
There are a number of possible variations. You can substitute kidney beans or pigeon peas for the black beans and you can also try other vegetables. Cook in some jalapenos for a spicier version and you may also want to consider adding cheese, but this will make the dish only vegetarian and not vegan.