Name: Fríjoles con Arroz
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 500 g dried red bola roja beans, sorted and rinsed; 2.5 L water for soaking; 3 L fresh water for boiling and simmering, plus more as needed; 300 g peeled green plantain, cut into 3 cm pieces; 250 g ripe tomatoes, finely chopped; 150 g scallions (cebolla de rama), finely chopped; 12 g garlic, finely chopped; 30 ml neutral oil; 2 g ground cumin; 1 g ground black pepper; 6 g fine salt, divided; 600 g long-grain white rice, rinsed; 1.2 L water; 4 g fine salt, or to taste

A rustic plate of red bean and plantain stew beside white rice on a wooden table

Region Colón, Putumayo, Colombia

Category Main dish

Yield 8 servings

Prep time 35 minutes

Soaking time 8–12 hours, refrigerated in a warm kitchen

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Fríjoles con Arroz

Colón sits in Putumayo's Sibundoy valley, a highland area where red bola roja beans are grown. That local ingredient makes a sensible choice for this plate, whose name simply brings beans and rice together. The available cultural inventory records it as a common main dish, while leaving its recipe undocumented. Household methods and proportions may therefore differ.

This version uses a familiar Colombian bean-stew approach: soak the beans, cook them with pieces of green plantain, and build flavor with tomato, scallion, garlic and cumin. The rice is cooked separately and placed beside the beans. It stays fluffy, while each person can combine the two components on the plate.

The beans take time, but most of it is hands-off. A covered overnight soak helps them cook evenly. The following day, a full initial boil is essential for red beans: drain away the soaking water, use fresh water, and boil briskly for at least 30 minutes before lowering the heat. Then keep the pot at a steady simmer until every bean is creamy and soft. A slow cooker does not provide the required boiling step.

Green plantain gives the stew body without turning it into a purée. Add it after the initial boil and cut it into generous pieces so it holds its shape. Cook the tomato and scallion separately until soft and sweet, then stir the sofrito into the tender beans. This order keeps acidic tomato away from the beans while they are still firm.

Ingredients

Beans

500 g dried red bola roja beans, sorted and rinsed
2.5 L water for soaking
3 L fresh water for boiling and simmering, plus more as needed
300 g peeled green plantain, cut into 3 cm pieces

Sofrito

250 g ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
150 g scallions (cebolla de rama), finely chopped
12 g garlic, finely chopped
30 ml neutral oil
2 g ground cumin
1 g ground black pepper
6 g fine salt, divided

Rice

600 g long-grain white rice, rinsed
1.2 L water
4 g fine salt, or to taste

Method

Soak the beans Pick through the beans and discard any stones or damaged beans. Rinse them, cover with 2.5 L water and soak for 8–12 hours. If the kitchen is warm, refrigerate the bowl during soaking. Drain and discard the soaking water; do not use it for cooking.
Boil the beans safely Put the drained beans in a heavy 6 L pot and cover with 3 L fresh water. Bring to a full, brisk boil and keep boiling for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not shorten this step and do not cook the beans only in a slow cooker.
Simmer with plantain After the full boil, lower the heat to a steady simmer and add the green plantain. Partly cover the pot and cook for 60–90 minutes, stirring gently now and then. Add hot water if the beans are no longer covered. They are ready when uniformly creamy and soft through the centre, with no firm or chalky bite. Highland elevation and bean age can extend the cooking time.
Cook the sofrito When the beans are nearly tender, warm the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the scallions and cook for 4 minutes, stirring, until glossy and softened. Add the tomato, garlic, cumin, pepper and 3 g of the salt. Cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until the tomato collapses and the mixture looks thick and spoonable.
Season the beans and cook the rice Stir the sofrito into the fully tender beans and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the remaining 3 g salt gradually, tasting the broth. Meanwhile, combine the rinsed rice, 1.2 L water and 4 g salt in a separate pot. Bring to a boil; when most surface water has been absorbed, cover and cook over low heat for 15–18 minutes, until tender. Rest off the heat, covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff.
Serve Spoon the beans and plantain into bowls or onto plates, with fluffy rice beside them. The stew should be thick enough to cling lightly to the beans while still having a little broth. Keep any extra rice separate from the bean pot.

Practical guidance

Practical

Nutrition per serving

These are ingredient-based estimates for eight equal servings, using Colombian food-composition data for beans, rice, plantain and vegetables and a standard value for oil. The actual bean variety, age, amount of cooking liquid eaten and final salt adjustment can shift the results. An optional salad is not included.

Fríjoles con Arroz Recipe

A Putumayo-inspired plate of red beans simmered with green plantain and a tomato-scallion sofrito, served beside fluffy white rice. The local record names this everyday dish in Colón but does not preserve a detailed formula, so this is a practical home version rather than a claim of one definitive recipe.

Practical guidance

Choose beans that will cook evenly: Use whole, dry red bola roja beans from a recent harvest if available. Very old beans can remain firm despite long cooking. Remove damaged beans before soaking, and do not mix beans of visibly different sizes if you can avoid it. Keep the first boil distinct: The 30-minute brisk boil happens in fresh water after soaking and before the lower simmer. Do not add tomato or other acidic ingredients before the beans are tender. If you use a pressure cooker for the later simmer, only do so after the initial boil and follow its bean fill limits; the simple stovetop method is easiest to monitor. Adjust the texture: For a thicker stew, mash a few fully cooked beans against the pot with the back of a spoon and stir them in. For a looser broth, add hot water a little at a time. Keep the plantain pieces intact for a contrast of soft beans and tender chunks. Make-ahead and leftovers: The beans may be soaked overnight in the refrigerator. Cooked beans and rice can be refrigerated separately in shallow containers within 2 hours. Keep them at or below 4°C and use within 3–4 days. Reheat until steaming hot throughout, adding a splash of water to loosen the beans. Do not leave cooked rice or beans at room temperature for extended periods. Ingredient swaps: If red bola roja beans are unavailable, use another dried red common bean of similar size and follow the same safety boil. A different cultivar may need more simmering time. Keep green plantain for the savory, starchy note; ripe plantain changes the sweetness and texture.

Allergens and food safety

The listed ingredients contain no major declarable allergen. Check packaged cumin and shared equipment for cross-contact. For dried red beans, soak at least 5 hours, discard that water, and boil in fresh water for at least 30 minutes before simmering; do not rely on a slow cooker for this safety step. Refrigerate cooked beans and rice within 2 hours in shallow containers, keep cold, and reheat thoroughly.

Final notes

Key point 1: The beans must complete a brisk 30-minute boil in fresh water before they are simmered until soft. Key point 2: Cook the rice separately and serve it beside the thick bean and plantain stew.

Nutrition per serving

Serving basis: 1/8 of the bean stew and rice
Calories: 570 kcal
Carbohydrate: 113 g
Protein: 21 g
Fat: 5 g
Fibre: 18 g
Sodium: 520 mg

Fríjoles con Arroz

Ingredients

Beans

Sofrito

Rice

Method

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Fríjoles con Arroz Recipe

Practical guidance

Allergens and food safety

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

Colombian National Dishes

Pepitoria de Chivo

Arroz con Menudencias

Arroz Tapado from Boyacá