Gallo Pinto

Of all the Costa Rican dishes, gallo pinto is my favorite. It’s a simple dish of rice and beans with added textures of scrambled eggs, stewed red pepper, plátanos, and queso fresco. The name translates to spotted or speckled rooster, referring to the color the black beans impart on the rice.

I’ve been eating gallo pinto for as long as I can remember, but every time I have it, it feels like the first time. On a recent trip to Costa Rica, I ate gallo pinto for breakfast all but one of the mornings at the hotel. One of those mornings, I had to take a rice break and opted for toast with guava jam and queso fresco - balance, right? Otherwise, breakfast was my perfect combination of gallo, pinto, scrambled eggs, a slice of queso fresco, and a few pieces of papaya and pineapple.

Gallo Pinto is the typical breakfast for Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans. In Costa Rica, it’s common to use black beans. On Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, Gallo pinto is made with red beans and coconut meat (I’ll have to try that soon!). My recipe is a medley of all my favorite aspects of gallo pinto, including a sofrito cooked with a splash of the Costa Rican condiment, Salsa Lizano, a tangy version of Worschestire sauce. If you don’t have Salsa Lizano, feel free to skip this ingredient - gallo pinto still tastes great without it.

To make gallo pinto, start with cooked long-grain rice and cooked black beans. The gallo pinto will come together relatively quickly with cooked rice and beans. Start by sauteeing the sofrito of onion, red pepper, and garlic in achiote oil or paste. Then, add the cooked rice, black beans, bean liquid, and Salsa Lizano. Stir the mixture for a few minutes until the liquid evaporates or you can see the resemblance of a speckled rooster. I serve mine with all the toppings like queso fresco, avocado, scrambled eggs, and plátanos.

Gallo Pinto prep

Ingredients, for 4 servings:

- 3 cups cooked long-grain white rice (from 1 cup uncooked rice)
- 3 cups cooked black beans or 30 oz canned black beans
- 1 cup bean cooking liquid or vegetable broth
- 2 tsp achiote oil or 1 tsp of achiote paste
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp Salsa Lizano

For Serving:

- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
- sliced queso fresco, for serving
- sliced avocado, for serving
- plátanos maduros, for serving
- corn tortillas, for serving
- 3-4 eggs, scrambled, for serving

How To:

1. Heat oils in a medium skillet, and saute onion and pepper until the onions are golden brown and the pepper is soft, stirring occasionally for about 6 minutes. Then add in garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes, stirring often.

2. On medium heat, add the rice, beans, and bean liquid or broth and stir until well mixed for about 5 minutes until the liquid evaporates. Turn the heat down and stir in the Salsa Lizano and cilantro. Serve warm with corn tortillas, queso fresco, and scrambled eggs. 

my ideal breakfast of gallo pinto with fresh papaya and pineapple