Name: Frejoles con seco — Peruvian beans and beef stew
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 220 min
Total time: 745 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 350 g dried canary beans (frejol canario) — sorted and rinsed; 1400 ml water for soaking — cold; discarded after soaking; 1600 ml fresh water for cooking beans — divided: all into bean pot; 70 g red onion for beans — diced; 8 g garlic for beans — minced; 10 ml vegetable oil for beans — for sautéing; 3 g fine salt for beans — added after tender; 700 g boneless beef chuck — cut into 4 cm pieces; 90 g fresh coriander leaves and stems — washed; 140 g red onion for stew — diced; 12 g garlic for stew — minced; 45 g ají amarillo paste — plain; 20 g ají panca paste — plain; 150 ml chicha de jora — commercial drink for cooking; 450 ml water for stew — hot; 20 ml vegetable oil for stew — for searing; 5 g fine salt for stew — for beef and sauce; 260 g long-grain white rice — dry, rinsed; 480 ml water for rice — cold; 2 g fine salt for rice — for pot

Frejoles con seco — Peruvian beans and beef stew

Yield 5 complete plates

Prep 35 minutes

Cook 220 minutes

Passive 490 minutes

Total 745 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Frejoles con seco — Peruvian beans and beef stew

Frejoles con seco is a composed Peruvian plate rather than a single-pot stew. The meat simmers in a green culantro sauce, while beans cook to a soft, creamy texture and plain rice supplies a separate base. Keeping the three elements apart preserves their different textures.

Culantro in Peru means fresh coriander leaves. It makes the seco sauce herbaceous, while ají amarillo and ají panca provide background depth. Chicha de jora is a fermented maize drink used as a cooking liquid; it must not be replaced silently with lime or an unrelated sauce.

Dried canary beans need a substantial soak and a gentle simmer. Salt and tomatoes are not added to the soaking water. The beef is ready when a fork enters without resistance and the sauce lightly covers it; rushing either pot produces tough meat or hard beans.

Ingredients

Beans

350 g dried canary beans (frejol canario) — sorted and rinsed
1400 ml water for soaking — cold; discarded after soaking
1600 ml fresh water for cooking beans — divided: all into bean pot
70 g red onion for beans — diced
8 g garlic for beans — minced
10 ml vegetable oil for beans — for sautéing
3 g fine salt for beans — added after tender

Seco de res

700 g boneless beef chuck — cut into 4 cm pieces
90 g fresh coriander leaves and stems — washed
140 g red onion for stew — diced
12 g garlic for stew — minced
45 g ají amarillo paste — plain
20 g ají panca paste — plain
150 ml chicha de jora — commercial drink for cooking
450 ml water for stew — hot
20 ml vegetable oil for stew — for searing
5 g fine salt for stew — for beef and sauce

Rice

260 g long-grain white rice — dry, rinsed
480 ml water for rice — cold
2 g fine salt for rice — for pot

Method

Soak the canary beans.Cover sorted dry beans with the 1400 ml cold soaking water in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 480 minutes, then drain and discard that water. Time: 480 minutes passive soaking. Readiness: The beans have swollen and none remain floating in dirty rinse water. Soak refrigerated at 4 °C or below, rather than in a warm kitchen.
Cook the beans gently.Put the drained beans and 1600 ml fresh water in a pot. Bring to a simmer and cook 75 minutes, skimming as needed. Time: 75 minutes. Readiness: Several beans crush easily between a spoon and the pot wall, with no hard white centre.
Season and cream the beans.Heat 10 ml oil in a small pan, cook the 70 g onion and 8 g garlic for 7 minutes, then stir this into the beans with 3 g salt. Mash a few spoonfuls against the pot wall. Time: 7 minutes. Readiness: The liquid looks lightly creamy while most beans remain whole.
Sear the beef.Heat 20 ml oil in a heavy casserole and sear the beef in two quick rounds for a total of 12 minutes, turning each side and moving browned pieces to a plate. Time: 12 minutes. Readiness: The beef has a browned surface and the centre remains firm for stewing.
Cook the seco base.Turn down the casserole. Cook 140 g onion for 8 minutes, add 12 g garlic and the two ají pastes, and stir for 5 minutes. Time: 13 minutes. Readiness: The aromatic paste is glossy and no longer smells sharply raw.
Simmer with coriander and chicha.Blend the coriander with 150 ml taken from the 450 ml stew water; add it with the remaining 300 ml stew water, chicha de jora, 5 g salt and beef to the casserole. Simmer gently 90 minutes. Time: 90 minutes. Readiness: Beef yields to a fork and the green sauce coats each piece rather than running like water. Maintain a steady cooking simmer until beef is thoroughly cooked and tender.
Cook the rice.Rinse and drain the 260 g rice. Put in a saucepan with 480 ml rice water and 2 g salt; cover and simmer 18 minutes, then set covered aside off heat for 10 minutes. Time: 18 minutes. Readiness: The water has been absorbed and the grains separate when fluffed. Cool any rice intended for storage rapidly and refrigerate within 2 hours.
Arrange the plate.Spoon rice, soft canary beans and green seco into separate portions on 5 plates, sharing the meat and sauce evenly. Time: 5 minutes. Readiness: Each component remains identifiable and the sauce clings to tender beef.

Practical

Practical guidance

Begin soaking the beans the previous evening. The bean pot and beef pot can simmer at the same time, although the stated cooking allowance covers the full listed stages rather than presuming simultaneous attention. Cool meat, beans and rice rapidly in separate shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4 °C or colder, for no more than 3–4 days. Reheat all components to 74 °C. Do not leave cooked rice warm on the worktop.

Substitutions and effects

Cooked canary beans instead of dried: Changes preparation and time materially; do not treat 350 g dry beans as equal to 350 g cooked beans without recalculating.

Control points

Beans refuse to softenThey were old or cooked too hard; continue simmering with measured hot water and test more than one bean, without abandoning the correct minimum volume.
Seco sauce is paleThe coriander may be scant or overly boiled; blend the full measured leaves and keep the sauce to a gentle simmer.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size1 of 5 plates
Calories781 kcal
Carbohydrate93.3 g
Protein52.6 g
Fat21 g
Fibre13.3 g
Sodium907 mg

Allergens and food safety

No major regulated allergens inherent to the listed plain ingredients; review chilli pastes and chicha labels for additives. Contains fermented chicha de jora used in cooking; residual alcohol cannot be guaranteed absent. Refrigerate beans throughout the 8-hour soak. Cook beef until fork-tender with a sustained simmer; chill beans, stew and rice separately within 2 hours and reheat leftovers to 74 °C.

Closing

Result: Slow-cooked coriander beef is served with creamy canary beans and rice in this substantial Peruvian plate.
Key control: Dried canary beans need a substantial soak and a gentle simmer.