Mexican cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Frijoles Refritos

Soft-cooked pinto beans mashed to a creamy paste with onion and garlic — Mexico's most essential side dish.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 400g dried pinto beans
• 1 white onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 sprig epazote (or 1 bay leaf)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 100g queso fresco (or mild feta)
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Sort through the pinto beans and soak overnight in plenty of cold water; drain and rinse thoroughly the next day.
2. Bring the beans to a boil with the halved onion, 2 whole garlic cloves and the epazote in fresh water, then simmer over low heat for 60 min. until tender; season with salt only at the end, or the skins will stay tough.
3. Skim off the cooking water and set it aside, then remove the onion halves and the epazote.
4. Finely dice the remaining onion and garlic, fry in 6 tbsp vegetable oil for 5 min. until golden, then add the cumin and toast for 30 sec. until fragrant.
5. Add the beans and mash them right in the pan with a potato masher, adding the reserved cooking water a ladleful at a time until you get a creamy but still soft mixture.
6. Cook down for another 6–8 min., until the mixture pulls away from the bottom of the pan as one mass; season with salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with crumbled queso fresco.