Frijol con puerco is a traditional stew from the state of Yucatan. Some people like it as a soup others enjoy it as a stew over white rice.
The dish is composed of the stew (black beans and pork), white rice, and the toppings; “chiltomate” salsa and a fresh radish salsa. You can skip the rice and just eat it as a bean and pork soup with the toppings. The topping are not optional.
You’ll find the recipe at the bottom of this post but here are some photos of the process. This is how I recommend to cook the ingredients for the chiltomate. You could use a comal or a cast iron pan to get that charred quality.
here is this lovely, fruity, spicy,slightly acidic chiltomate. Besides the charred tomatoes and onions pictured above, I add fresh cilantro and an habanero.
Now here is the little radish salad you will be adding to the final product.
put it all together and this is what you get
Ingredients
1 lb black beans
1.5 lb of pork shoulder or ribs cut into 2 inch pieces.
1/2 white onion
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons of salt
1 spring of epazote
Water enough to cover the pork and the beans. You will be adding more water as the beans and pork cook.
For the Chiltomate salsa (toppings):
4 roma tomatoes
1/8 of onion
1 habanero chile
salt to taste
For the fresh radish salsa:
cilantro bunch
1/2 of red onion
5- 6 radishes
apple cider vinegar
the juice of one lime.
1 fresh habanero pepper (seeded)
Salt to taste
Procedure
Prep: Soak the beans overnight or at least for 2 hours prior to cooking. Cut the pork into 2 inch pieces.
Once the beans are soaked, place them in a dutch oven or a big pot, add the pork, onion, garlic and water enough to cover the pot.
Let it cook for about an hour and a half. If adding epazote, add it in the last half hour.
Add salt when the beans are soft. Don’t be tempted to add it at the beginning.
For the Chiltomate:
While the beans and pork are cooking make this simple salsa.
To make the chiltomate, place the whole tomatoes, the onion and the chile habanero on a cast iron pan with no oil and let them roast, turning them over occasionally. The habanero pepper roast fast so remove it promptly. The tomatoes and onions should end up charred and soft.
Once these salsa ingredients are ready, process them in a blender until desired consistency, add salt to taste.
For the fresh radish salsa:
Finely chop the cilantro and dice the radishes and the red onion. Take the seeds out of the habanero pepper, chop it and place them in a small bowl.
Add a splash of apple cider vinegar, the juice of two limes and sprinkle some salt.
How to serve Frijol con Puerco:
On soup bowl, place about 3 Tablespoons of white rice, then add the frijol con puerco all over it and top it with the chiltomate salsa and the fresh radish salsa.
If you would like to see the process with pictures go to my intstagram account and find it in my highlights.
How to make Frijol con Puerco in the Instant Pot
1 lb of dry black beans
8 cups of water
1 onion
1 garlic clove
2 tsp salt
Procedure
Wash the dry beans throughly. Place the dry beans in the pressure cooker Add the onion, garlic, water and salt and pressure cook for 48 minutes. While the the pork and the beans are cooking, make the chiltomate, and the radish salsa, as specified above. There is no shortcut for this but is easy. Enjoy it just as a soup with no rice or you can throw white rice on a side as well.
