Tacu tacu

Ingredients

Base

• 500 gcooked canary beans, frijol canario, or any cooked beans
• 400 gcooked white rice, ideally a day old

Aderezo

• 1red onion, finely chopped
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 3 tbspají amarillo paste
• 1 tspground cumin
• 4 tbspoil
• salt and pepper

To fry

• oil, a generous amount

To top

• a thin steak, or a fried egg, or fried fish
• salsa criolla: sliced red onion, lime, chilli and coriander

To serve

• fried plantain
• a wedge of lime

Directions

1. Use rice from the day before, kept in the fridge. Fresh warm rice is too moist and the cake collapses into mush. Fry the finely chopped onion in oil over a medium heat for 10 minutes until completely soft and sweet.
2. Cook the onion until it dissolves. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes. Now add the ají amarillo paste and fry it for 4 or 5 minutes. Add the cumin and season well. Now add the beans and mash about half of them into the base. Cook it until it is thick and pasty.
3. Break up any clumps and mix until the rice is evenly coated and the whole thing is a cohesive mass. It should hold together when pressed and be quite dry, and if it is loose, cook it a few minutes longer to drive off moisture.
4. Taste and season it properly, since bland tacu tacu is a common disappointment. Heat a generous amount of oil in a heavy or non-stick pan over a medium-high heat. This is essentially fried in a shallow pool, and a dry pan gives a pale soft cake.
5. Take a portion of the mixture and shape it in the pan into a thick oval, pressing it down firmly. Now leave it completely alone for 5 to 6 minutes.
6. Cook the second side another 5 minutes. The finished cake should be crisp and dark outside and soft and creamy inside. Serve it with a thin seared steak, a fried egg, or fried fish laid over the top.
7. Slice red onion very thinly, soak it in cold water for 10 minutes, then dress it with lime, chilli and coriander. Soaking the onion takes the harshness out while keeping the crunch, and that sharp cold salsa against the rich fried cake is the balance the dish depends on. Serve fried plantain and a lime wedge alongside.

Technique

• It began as a leftovers dish and is now restaurant food.
• Canary beans are the Peruvian standard and any bean works.
• Tacu tacu relleno, stuffed with seafood, is a Lima restaurant version.

Substitutions

• Any cooked beans, and black beans give a darker cake.
• A little chilli paste and paprika if ají amarillo is unavailable, accepting a different flavour.

Variations

• Topped with lomo saltado.
• Tacu tacu relleno, stuffed with prawns.
• With a fried egg, as the simplest version.

History

Leftover rice and beans pressed and fried into a cake, an Afro-Peruvian creation of colonial Lima; the name comes from Quechua takuy, to mix.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tacu tacu?

Tacu tacu is a main from Peru: griddled cake of leftover rice and beans, often topped with steak. Leftover rice and beans pressed and fried into a cake, an Afro-Peruvian creation of colonial Lima; the name comes from Quechua takuy, to mix.

How long does Tacu tacu take to make?

Tacu tacu takes 20 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Tacu tacu?

Yes, within limits. Any cooked beans, and black beans give a darker cake. A little chilli paste and paprika if ají amarillo is unavailable, accepting a different flavour.

What is the most important thing to get right in Tacu tacu?

Break up any clumps and mix until the rice is evenly coated and the whole thing is a cohesive mass. It should hold together when pressed and be quite dry, and if it is loose, cook it a few minutes longer to drive off moisture.