National Dishes of the World

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Pabellón criollo
Photo: Wilfredor, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

main dish

Pabellón criollo

Shredded beef in tomato sauce, black beans, white rice and fried sweet plantain on one plate.

Eaten in: Venezuela

Prep
30 min
Cooking
2 h 30 min
Resting
12 h
Total
15 h
Servings
6

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About the dish

Pabellón criollo is regarded as Venezuela's national dish and is an everyday lunch in homes and diners across the country. Four components sit side by side on the plate: carne mechada – beef simmered until tender, pulled into shreds and stewed with onion, peppers, tomatoes and garlic – black beans (caraotas), often slightly sweetened, white rice and tajadas, slices of ripe plantain fried until caramelised. Venezuelans love this mix of salty, sweet and gently tangy. It is often finished with a fried egg or grated white cheese on the beans. Every part can be made ahead, and the beans and meat taste even better the next day.

Main ingredients

  • beef (flank or brisket)
  • black beans
  • rice
  • ripe plantain
  • peppers
  • tomatoes
  • onion

Venezuela: Topped with a fried egg it is called “a caballo” – “on horseback”.

More: Wikipedia (en)

Recipe

Pabellón criollo

https://foodmap.ominuvo.com/dish/pabellon-criollo

Ingredients

6 servings

6 servings

Method

  1. Soak the beans overnight, then cook them in fresh water for about 1.5 hours until tender.

  2. Simmer the whole piece of beef in salted water for about 1.5 hours until tender. Cool in the broth, then pull into thin shreds with two forks.

  3. Chop the onions, peppers, garlic and tomatoes. Soften half in oil with the cumin, add the meat and a cup of broth and stew for 15–20 minutes until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Fry the rest of the vegetables in oil and add to the beans with the sugar and salt. Cook uncovered for 20–30 minutes, until the beans are thick and creamy.

  5. Cook the rice until fluffy.

  6. Peel the plantains, slice them diagonally into thick pieces and fry in oil for 3–4 minutes per side until caramelised.

  7. On each plate arrange the rice, meat, beans and plantain side by side.

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