My version of Mexican classic dish. Mexican refried beans – frijoles negros. Smooth black beans with a kick from chili. Perfect for adding to your tacos, panuchos, tostadas or tetelas.
Today I am presenting you a staple in Mexican cuisine, Mexican refried beans – Frijoles negros. This dish is not only simple and affordable but is also amazingly tasty and brings lots of flavour to the table 🙂 What a rhyme, haha!
Are Mexican refried beans – frijoles negros easy to make?
Yes, this dish is very easy to make. As I mentioned before, you only need few ingredients: beans, onions, water, chili, lard or oil and spices. When it comes to beans many people use dry beans and soak them overnight and then cook them. But, actually many people in Mexico use tinned beans and this is what I used. It is just quicker and more convenient. . I went for black beans as love the darker color and taste.
Every time I am making Mexican refried beans – frijoles negros, I use lard. Obviously you can use vegetable oil instead if you wish. In my opinion lard elevates the flavour so I would recommend using it if you can.
For an extra kick, I have added pasilla chilis. Pasilla chilis are dried chilaca peppers. They are long-medium sized chili with a medium heat. You can find them on-line or if you are in Mexico for holiday etc, grab a bag or two from the local market. These chilis are great to add to stews or chili as well!
What does the frijoles negros taste like?
My variation if this dish is medium spicy with a slight sweetness from onions. Consistency of the dish is entirely up to you. You can make frijoles more ‘wet’ if you want to serve it as a topping with some meats etc. If you want to use frijoles as a filling, for example in tetelas, I would advise to make it thicker, so the tortillas do not become soggy.
How to serve frijoles negros
Serve Mexican refried beans with tacos, panuchos, tostadas, burritos etc. and do not forget to add a splash of lime on top and crumble some cotija cheese on top. If you do not have Cotija cheese feel free to use Feat cheese instead. They are both crumbly in texture and salty and tangy in flavour.
I hope you will enjoy my recipe and If you are looking for more Mexican recipes, have a look at the below:
I hope you will make my recipe and if you do, please leave a comment below and let me know your feedback. You can also find me on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Gab and Gettr. Please say hi and do not forget to tag me in if you make my recipe. I love seeing your creations.
Recipe source – adapted from the book ‘De la cocina Mexicana’ , Larousse
Disfruta de tu comida!
Ingredients
Instructions
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Peel and thinly slice onions, set aside.
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Prepare medium pan or pot.
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Add lard or oil to the pan and heat it up.
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When lard or oil is hot, add sliced onions and stir well. Cool until onions soften - about 6 min. Stir often.
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Add cumin, pepper and salt , stir.
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Add black beans and pasilla chilis. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes.
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Pour in water and cook on low heat for about 25-30 min until all the ingredients are soft and liquid reduces into half.
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Take the pot from the heat and using an immersion blender, blend all the ingredients until nearly smooth. If you prefer some texture in your frijoles negros you can blend it for a shorter time.
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Cook the beans for another 5 minutes until you get the desired consistency. The longer you cook the more liquid evaporates and frijoles negros becomes thicker.
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Serve frijoles negros with your favourite tortillas, tacos, panuchos or serve on its own with a portion of meat.
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Store in the fridge for up to a week.