Dish of Refried Beans
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Refried Beans


Mexico - California   -   Frijoles Refritos
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 1-1/3 #
***
30+ min
Yes		 Essential for the cuisines of northern and central Mexico. This recipe uses Lard for authenticity, or Olive Oil for vegetarian. "Refrito" means "well fried", not fried twice.

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Beans, cooked (1)  
Onion (2)
Garlic
Salt
-- Optional (3)
Cumin
Chili Powder
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Oil or Lard (4)
Water
-- Garnishes (5)
Cheese, aged
Tortilla Chips
Cilantro Leaf
Lime Wedges
IF Using Dried Beans   -   (9 hrs - 10 min work)
  1. IF using Dried Beans, Place 1-1/3 cups in a big jar with 1/2 T Salt and water sufficient to re-hydrate them. Let sit in a fairly warm place 8 hours or overnight.
  2. Drain and rinse Beans. Place in a sauce pan and pour in water to cover by an inch or so (a lot more if not soaked). Bring to a boil uncovered (to eliminate foaming over), turn down to a slow simmer, cover tightly and simmer 50 minutes or until quite tender.
Prep   -   (10 min)
  1. Chop Onion very fine.
  2. Crush Garlic well and chop very fine.
  3. IF Using   Grind Cumin and mix with Chili Powder
Run   -   (20 min)
  1. Drain Beans and rinse.
  2. In a well seasoned iron or heavy non-stick pan, heat Lard or Oil. Fry Onions until translucent, but no browning. Stir in Garlic and Salt, and fry stirring another 30 seconds. If using, Optional flavorings, stir in along with Garlic.
  3. Keeping over moderate heat, start spooning in the Beans, crushing with a Potato Masher or similar until you get the texture you want. It should not be mashed smooth, but can be medium or quite coarse as you may wish. Add a little Water as needed to get the consistency you want - it should be fairly dry.
  4. Continue to fry the Beans, uncovered and stirring often, for another 3 minutes. Adjust with a little water if needed. It should be fairly dry, but with enough moisture to cake in the pan.
  5. Cover to keep warm and serve as soon as possible. The beans can be carefully reheated, adding a minimum amount of water, or by steaming.
NOTES:

  1. Pinto Beans:

      These are the best beans for Refried Beans, and easily available in North America. To start with dried beans, 1-1/4 cups will yield 3 cups. 2 15oz cans of Pinto beans will be 3 cups. There will not be a lot of difference in flavor or texture. Salt? See Soaking / Brining Dried Beans for details.

  2. Onion:

      White Onions are used in Mexico, but there will be little difference if you use yellow onions.

  3. Optional:

      These flavorings are not much used in Mexico, but are popular in North America. Choose any Chili Powder you like. For details see our Chili Powder / Flake page.

  4. Lard or Oil:

      In Mexico Lard would be used. The flavor difference between the two is quite significant, so if you don't need it vegetarian, feel free to use Lard, it isn't the "heart killer" it was once thought to be. Pure Olive Oil is fine, Virgin may have too much Olive flavor. Others can be used. You will have less sticking problems with Lard.

  5. Garnishes:

      The traditional garnishes in Mexico are Tortilla Chips and aged Grated Cheese (Cotiga, or Añejo, but Fresco can be used). See our Mexican Cheeses. Cilantro and Lime Wedges are often used in North America.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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