A few summers ago, Jason and Nancy were kind enough to let me sleep on their couch—for a few months!! Very hospitable. And one day, in celebration of “Fiesta Days” (a big Santa Barbara festival), I made refried beans. It wasn’t too difficult. But they loved it. In fact, they’ve been begging me for the recipe for two years now. I can’t claim the recipie as my own. Yes, I am “hispanic”—but refried beans are more of a Mexican thing than something typical from my countries of origin (Colombia and Costa Rica). I actually learned how to make refried beans from a Mexican-American couple from Texas. They were on their way to Michigan and stayed at the hospitality house I lived in (called the Rutba House). We let them stay with us for a few weeks, and they left us with a gift that hasn’t ceased giving.
Here’s the problem. Jason and Nancy want the recipe, but I don’t really have one. I just make the beans. So, here’s a narrative on how to make them. It’s really easy, so anyone can try it. But it might take some experimenting with the spices to get the flavour right.
Step 1: Empty a bag of pinto beans onto a surface (I guess a 1lb bag). Sometimes there is a pebble or two hidden among the beans. Take those out (it doesn’t feel good to bite down on one of them—believe me, I’ve done it). Rinse the beans. I usually use a colander. Then let the beans soak in a large pot overnight. Use plenty of water since the beans expand quite a bit.
Step 2: Boil beans for a couple hours. I would say boil them for about an hour or so… basically until they are soft (make sure to keep on adding water). Then it’s time to add the stuff: garlic powder, cummin, salt, pepper… chili powder if you’re feeling daring (but not too much). This is where the experimentation is required. For starters, try 2-3 Tbs of garlic, 1-2 Tbs of cummin, 2 Tbs of salt (that might be a little much), 1 Tbs of pepper, and maybe 1 Tbs of chili powder (maybe less). Then let all that boil for another hour. You want the beans so soft that they are falling apart (it makes it easier to mash them later on).
Step 3: This is also a tricky part. After the boiling is complete, you need to empty out a lot of the water… but not too much or else the beans get really dry. For starters try emptying out the water so that only the bottom half of the beans are in water. Then the mashing begins. I use a potato masher. A fork will also work if a potato masher is unavailable… but that takes a lot more work. Mash until you get sick of it. The consistency of the beans shouldn’t be uniform—that’s only what happens at food processing plants.
Step 4: Cover a very large pan with 2 Tbs (that’s a total guess—probably more) of olive oil. Saute 1-2 onions, diced. Reduce to a low heat. Add the beans to the sauted onions. Mix in 1-2 Tbs of butter. Now the re-frying begins. Don’t re-fry for too long; it tends to dry out the beans. And don’t let them burn.
If you try the recipe, please add your comments below so we can get the proportions right.
11 responses so far ↓
1 Jonathan Kelley // Oct 12, 2006 at 6:13 pm
You should have your own cooking show on the Food Network. You would definitely fill a niche for them a Latin American Theologian who specializes in making dishes with only a good educated guess behind each decision. I know I would watch. You could call it Transubstantiated: Everyday Ingredients into Heavenly Desires.
2 Jason // Oct 12, 2006 at 9:02 pm
The beans were incredible. We tried them tonight and were surprised your narrative instructions worked so well. We did pretty much everything you said (1 lb. beans, 2 onions, 3 tbsp. cummin, dash of Tapatio, 1 tsp. minced garlic). One difference is that after the first hour of boiling we used vegetable broth as the liquid to add to the pot. We ended up using most of the box (2.5 cups) which might have been a bit much as the beans had just a hint of sweetness. Probably half that amount would have been perfect.
Best thing about it all: there’s still tons for tomorrow (and the next day, and the next…)
3 Chris // Oct 14, 2006 at 4:51 pm
What does the term “refritos” as in “frijoles refritos” really mean? I’ve heard from a chef (a gringo) that it doesn’t really mean “re-fried” as in “twice fried,” but “well fried.” Is that right? I thought “re” meant the same thing in Spanish as in English.
Also, refried beans taste pretty good when made with lard (in place of olive oil).
4 not1word // Oct 28, 2007 at 9:54 am
Chris, refritos—refried—doesn’t literally mean cooked again, or twice cooked. Its usage and meaning follow along the same lines as the word replenish in Genesis 1:28, where God speaks to his newly created couple, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
What we take for a prefix in both words refried and replenish is actually a part of the main word, from French. It has to do with intensification. In the word replenish it as to do with filling to capacity, to stock fully, not just in part. God intended man to fill His creation fully. In refried, the word deals with the length of time and the full amount of cooking of the beans.
5 Holly // Nov 4, 2007 at 5:38 pm
These are the best! I added diced tomatoes adn green chilies, they really zing up the beans.
Frijoles refritos ~ well fried beans, yum.
6 Jessica // Jan 28, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I made the beans today, added a couple chipotle peppers….YUM
7 michael gonzales // Apr 12, 2008 at 6:41 am
Just to throw in my two cents,I have had experience with beans sticking in bottom of pot when cooking. Some sort of phenonon.The beans will geather all at the bottom even if you have a rolling boil going.When I cook my beans I allways have to watch for sticking,and stir often. This happens with all type’s of beans I have cooked. My recomendation is allways stir.
8 Janet Gallmeyer // Apr 20, 2008 at 7:22 am
I just ate canned re-fried beans yesterday and they were terrible. Can’t wait to try this recipe. Will let you know how it all turned out. Since we just had tacos, spanish rice, and beans, it will be a while before we eat Mexican again, but I’ll be back to let you know how they turned out.
Thanks for your recipe!!
9 Pat Crossley // Apr 28, 2008 at 10:00 am
I work at a little village primary school (ust 100 pupils) in Devon in the SW of the UK. This coming Friday we are having a PTA Quiz Night and we are provding Mexican food. I thought I would make some Refried Beans as we have lots of different chillies coming and then I started to panic about how to make the beans. This recipe looks delicious. I will tell you how I got on. Wish me luck. Pat C.
10 Crystal // Jun 15, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I tried these the other day through step 3 (I didn’t sautee them) and they were really good! Thanks for the instructions.
11 Ed // Jun 28, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Good stuff. I love refried beans. Thanks for the post.
Leave a Comment