Baião de dois

Ingredients

Beans

• 400 gfeijão de corda or black-eyed beans, soaked overnight

Meat

• 400 gcarne de sol or carne seca, soaked
• 200 gbacon or smoked sausage, diced

Rice

• 400 glong-grain rice

Base

• 2onions, chopped
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 3 tbsplard or oil
• 1 bunchspring onions
• 1 bunchcoriander

Cheese

• 300 gqueijo coalho, in cubes

Also

• salt and black pepper
• 1 litreof the bean cooking liquid

To serve

• with a fried egg, with farofa, or on its own

Directions

1. Soak it in cold water for a few hours, changing the water once or twice, to draw out the salt. Taste a small piece after soaking before you commit it to the pot, since salt levels vary enormously and an oversalted dish cannot be corrected. Soak the beans overnight, then drain and cook them in fresh water until tender.
2. Keep every drop of the cooking liquid, since it is what the rice cooks in and it carries the whole flavour of the dish. Do not salt the beans until they are nearly soft, since salt added early slows them considerably.
3. Cut the soaked carne de sol into cubes and fry it hard in lard until browned at the edges. Brown it properly with space around it in the pan, since crowded meat releases water and steams grey instead.
4. Add the bacon or sausage and cook until the fat has rendered. Lift the meat out and set it aside, leaving the fat in the pan. Fry the onions in that fat until soft and golden, then add the garlic and cook a minute more. Now add the rice and stir it for a minute so every grain is coated in the fat.
5. Taste the liquid now and season it firmly, since this is the last moment you can correct it. It should taste slightly too salty at this stage, because the rice will absorb all of it and dilute the seasoning.
6. Bring it to a boil, then cover it and reduce the heat to its lowest setting. Cook for twenty minutes without lifting the lid. Queijo coalho is a firm squeaky Brazilian cheese that holds its shape when heated rather than melting into a pool.
7. Cut it into cubes and stir them through for the last five minutes, or scatter them over just before serving. It should soften and warm rather than melt away. Serve it hot, on its own or with a fried egg on top.

Technique

• Carne de sol is air-dried rather than sun-dried, despite the name.
• Queijo coalho holds its shape when heated rather than melting.
• The bean cooking liquid is what the rice cooks in.

Substitutions

• Halloumi in place of queijo coalho.
• Smoked bacon and sausage if carne de sol is unavailable.

Variations

• With more sausage and less cured beef.
• Made with black beans, which is less traditional.
• Served with a fried egg on top.

History

A dish combining rice and cowpeas cooked together with cheese, often with dried meat added, documented across Brazil’s northeastern region as a significant traditional dish reflecting that region’s historically drier climate and correspondingly hardy, drought-resistant staple crops including cowpeas. Its combination of rice and legume reflects a broader pattern found across many regional Brazilian and wider Latin American cuisines of pairing grain and legume into one complete, protein-rich staple dish, adapted here with the specific ingredients and cheese varieties available across Brazil’s northeastern states. Baião de dois remains one of the most iconic dishes of northeastern Brazilian cuisine, closely tied to that region’s distinct culinary identity within the broader Brazilian food landscape.

Frequently asked questions

What is Baião de dois?

Baião de dois is a main from Brazil: northeastern rice-and-beans with cured beef and queijo coalho. A dish combining rice and cowpeas cooked together with cheese, often with dried meat added, documented across Brazil’s northeastern region as a significant traditional dish reflecting that region’s historically drier climate and correspondingly hardy, drought-resistant staple crops including cowpeas. Its combination of rice and legume reflects a broader pattern found across many regional Brazilian and wider Latin American cuisines of pairing grain and legume into one complete, protein-rich staple dish, adapted here with the specific ingredients and cheese varieties available across Brazil’s northeastern states. Baião de dois remains one of the most iconic dishes of northeastern Brazilian cuisine, closely tied to that region’s distinct culinary identity within the broader Brazilian food landscape.

How long does Baião de dois take to make?

Baião de dois takes 30 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Baião de dois?

Yes, within limits. Halloumi in place of queijo coalho. Smoked bacon and sausage if carne de sol is unavailable.

What is the most important thing to get right in Baião de dois?

Keep every drop of the cooking liquid, since it is what the rice cooks in and it carries the whole flavour of the dish. Do not salt the beans until they are nearly soft, since salt added early slows them considerably.