Bandeja Paisa: The Most Famous Dish of the Eternal Spring

The Bandeja Paisa is probably the most popular Colombian dish internationally since it's not only a pleasure impossible to resist, but also a cultural representation of a whole region.

The origin of its name is due to the fact that it was born from the cuisine of the paisas, its abundance of ingredients requires it to be served in a large, oval dish known as a bandeja.

Its ingredients vary according to the region of the country where it is consumed, but basically it's composed of beans with bacon, white rice, meat and a fried pork rind called chicharrón. In addition, it has been complemented with avocados (to be healthy, you know), plantains, chorizo, arepa and fried egg. Sounds like one person can't handle the whole dish, but trust me, it's possible.

Regarding prices in restaurants, the dish is usually one the most expensive meals on menus because it contains large amounts of food. It can cost anywhere from 12,000 COP (4 USD) to 40,000 COP (13.50 USD) in nicer restaurants. However, here we will give you a little guide to prepare it by yourself at home, it's not so difficult.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of red beans

• 2 green plantains

• 1 packet of chicken broth Mazola

• 1 cup peeled and diced tomatoes

• ½ cup grated white onion

• 1 tablespoon of butter

• 1 pound of bacon

• 1 pound of veal

• 1 cup of rice

• 1 ripe banana

• Avocados

• Chorizo (1 per portion)

• Eggs (1 per serving)

To find out where to get these ingredients, we recommend you to click here and check the Supermarket post.

Step 1

• Soak the beans from the night before.

• Fry the tomato, onion and butter in a pressure cooker. This sauce is known in Colombia as hogao. Then add a small amount of chicken or beef broth, and the beans with the water in which they were soaked.

• Cut half the bacon into squares, just like the green plantains.

• Put the beans on a low heat, while adding the bacon pieces and the plantain cubes.

• Cover and cook until all the ingredients are soft.

Step 2

• For the chicharrones, take the rest of the bacon, add salt and cut it into strips, making some superficial incisions in the greasiest part.

• Bake the strips until they are golden brown and finish by frying them in the fat that was released in the oven. They should be crunchy.

• For the powdered meat, season the meat with salt and pepper and fry it in a frying pan. Then, cut it into pieces and take it to the blender until it is, as its name says, powdered.

• The rest of the accompaniments should be prepared while the beans are being cooked. Cook the white rice, prepare the arepas, fry the eggs, the slices of mature plantain and the chorizos.
  

While writing this post, I couldn't help but feel like trying this with my roommates. Don't miss the opportunity to try a traditional and exquisite dish, you can make a plan with your friends and enjoy its multiple flavors. Don't forget to go on an empty stomach!

Written by Kelly Gil