Refried beans are cooked beans and fried again with onion, garlic, and other spices cooked to perfection and mashed to get a creamy texture. As the name implies, it doesn’t mean it’s been fried again. It’s a Spanish word, translates to “well-fried” or “ intensely fried”. As I’m mentioning Spanish, you must have figured out where this dish comes from. Yes, this is a staple dish in Latin American countries and Mexico as well.
Basically, they use Pinto beans (pinto in Spanish means spotted or painted), sometimes they use red kidney beans (rajma) as well. Mexican cuisine requires few pre-cooked ingredients which form the base for their many dishes. Their pre-cooked foods are Refried beans, Salsa, (also check my instant salsa), Guacamole, Sour cream, Tortilla bases, taco shells, so on. These pre-cooked ingredients form the ground for their recipes like Tacos, Burritos, Chimichangas, Nachos, and so on.
Generally, these cooked beans are sautéed with onion, garlic in a small quantity of lard, butter, or vegetable oil, then seasoned with salt and spices.
Here, I pressure cooked the Red kidney beans (rajma) for a longer time ensuring it turns mushy. Then I sautéed onion garlic, tomato, seasoned with spices and salt and cooked the beans again. Then mash it to get a creamy texture. This can be prepared 1 or 2 days before and stored in the refrigerator. Later can be used as a filling in Tacos, Quesadillas, Tostadas, Burritos, Chimichangas. Also as a stuffing in my fusion cooking like Tacos golkappas.
I followed the authentic way of soaking and cooking the beans, then sauté with onion, garlic, and spices. People also go for canned beans which are pre-cooked, so they directly start sautéing with onion, garlic, and spices. You can do it either way, to your convenience. It can be converted to Vegan friendly by avoiding butter and replacing it with olive oil.
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Take Red kidney beans in a flat bottomed pan, wash it twice, immerse with a lot of water, soak it for overnight or minimum 8 hours. Next day, discard the water and transfer the beans to a pressure pan, add 2 cups or enough water to immerse, one garlic clove, close the lid.
Keep it in high flame, once the steam comes, put the weight, and give at least 20 – 25 whistles to get the desired squishy consistency of the bean.
Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and garlic, keep it aside. Once the pressure settles down, remove the cooker weight, and gently open the lid. (Always open the lid in the opposite direction to avoid the steam from hitting your face).
If you pick a bean and smash it between your fingers, it should turn mushy effortlessly. It means your beans have been cooked to perfection. If it fails the smashing test, no worries, add some water and give a few more whistles.
Now heat a skillet and add melted butter to it, then add the finely chopped garlic, sauté for few seconds. Once it turns golden brown, immediately add the chopped onion, sauté well.
Later add the store-bought tomato paste (optional), stir it, then add red chilli powder, cumin powder, required salt and mix well.
Finally add the cooked beans, stir well. Then add a cup of water and close the lid for 5 minutes in medium flame. Open the lid after 5 minutes, stir it and check if all the water is absorbed and switch off the flame.
Using a masher, mash the beans well, to 3/4th of the beans, as I like that semi consistency. If you prefer creamy texture then smash to its fullest capacity, I’ll leave it to your choice.
Refried beans is ready, store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2 – 3 days.
Recipe Card
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes (includes pressure cooking)
Category: Accompaniment, Main Course.
Cuisine: International – Mexican and Latin American.
Serves: 4
Author: Manimala
Ingredients:
For pressure cooking:
Red kidney beans (Rajma), uncooked – 1 cup
Garlic cloves – 1
Water – 1 ½ – 2 cups
For Sautéing:
Melted Butter – 3 tbsps
Cooked red kidney beans – 2 cups
Chopped Onion – 1 cup
*Tomato paste (store bought) – 1 ½ tbsps (optional)
Chopped Garlic- 1 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Cumin powder- ¼ tsp
Water – 1 cup
Salt – to taste
Instructions:
- Take Red kidney beans in a flat bottomed pan, wash it twice, immerse with a lot of water, soak it for overnight or minimum 8 hours.
- Next day, discard the water and transfer the beans to a pressure pan, add 2 cups or enough water to immerse, one garlic clove, close the lid.
- Keep it in high flame, once the steam comes, put the weight, and give at least 20 – 25 whistles to get the desired squishy consistency of the bean.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and garlic, keep it aside.
- Once the pressure settles down, remove the cooker weight, and gently open the lid.
- If you pick a bean and smash it between your fingers, it should turn mushy effortlessly. It means your beans have been cooked to perfection. If it fails the smashing test, no worries, add some water and give a few more whistles.
- Now heat a skillet and add melted butter to it, then add the finely chopped garlic, sauté for few seconds.
- Once it turns golden brown, immediately add the chopped onion, sauté well.
- Later add the store-bought tomato paste (optional), stir it, then add red chilli powder, cumin powder, required salt and mix well.
- Finally add the cooked beans, stir well. Then add a cup of water and close the lid for 5 minutes in medium flame.
- Open the lid after 5 minutes, stir it and check if all the water is absorbed and switch off the flame.
- Using a masher, mash the beans well, to 3/4th of the beans, as I like that semi consistency. If you prefer creamy texture then smash to its fullest capacity.
- Refried beans is ready, store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2 – 3 days.
Notes:
- If you are planning for any Mexican dishes, predominantly refried beans becomes an integral part. So, prepare your refried beans a day before you’re actual cooking the dish; it saves time.
- As I mentioned early, Pinto beans are the actual beans used in this recipe, red kidney beans are also equivalent in taste as well as texture.
- Red kidney beans are rich in protein, it takes longer time for soaking and cooking. Don’t underestimate the time, you’ll end up with al dente consistency of beans.
- I added store-bought tomato paste to give that extra punch of vinegar and sour taste. You can skip if it’s not available. Alternatively, you can replace it with tomato ketchup, which tastes equally good.
- Serving suggestions; they form the filling for Vegetarian Tacos, Quesadillas, Tostadas, Burritos, Chimichangas. Also as a stuffing in my fusion cooking like Tacos golkappas.
- In my future posts, I’ll slowly unwrap various Mexican recipes that involve this refried beans recipe.