Mexicantojitos

One of the main dishes of the Mexican cuisine are the refried beans. They serve as a side in dishes like enchiladas or stews, as an ingredient like in tostadas or tacos, or as a main dish as a dip to enjoy with some tortilla chips / totopos.

They are quite easy to make once the beans are cooked. The best version uses pork lard as the fat for refrying, but it can be substituted for vegetable oil (preferably a neutral one like canola).

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Ingredients

• 1kg of Pinto or manteiga beans
• 1 Onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 bay leaves or a pinch of epazote
• Water
• Salt
• 2 spoons of Pork lard (or vegetable oil for vegan version)
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano
• 1 tsp Ground garlic
• 1 tsp Chili flakes

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Procedure

1. Soak the beans at least for 8 hours. This will help to reduce the cooking time.
2. Cook the beans in a large pot with enough water covering them, using medium heat, with the onion peeled and cut in half, the peeled garlic clove, bay leaves and teaspoon of salt. The beans can also be cooked in a slow cooker in the low setting for at least 8 hours. You will know the beans are ready once they are soft.
3. Once the beans are cooked and soft, they need to be smashed. First, remove the excess water by leaving water just covering the beans. You can use a manual blender, the normal blender or the manual potato masher. If you cooked the beans in a slow cooker, transfer to a pot.
4. With the pot on medium heat, add the lard (or vegetable oil), ground garlic, chili flakes and oregano. Keep stirring until the beans are no longer liquid and have a soft paste consistency.
5. If you use them as dip, serve with tortilla chips and salsa on the sides.