Frijoles Antioqueños (Paisa Red Beans)
Creamy red cargamanto beans slowly simmered with pork hock, green plantain and carrot, then finished with a rich tomato-and-onion hogao. The heart of the bandeja paisa and of every Medellín lunch table.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Cook the beans
Drain the soaked beans and put them in a large pot (at least 4 litres) with the pork hock and water. Bring to a boil, then partly cover and simmer gently over medium-low heat for about 1½ hours, until the beans are soft and the meat is tender.
- 500g dried red beans
- 500g pork hock
- 2.5 litres water
✅ Done when: beans are soft and the pork is tender enough to shred
Add plantain and carrot
Stir in the grated plantain, carrot and salt. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes; the plantain breaks down and thickens the broth into a creamy base.
- 1 green plantain
- 1 carrot
- 1½ tsp salt
✅ Done when: broth looks creamy and slightly thickened
Make the hogao
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Combine
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Serve
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Cook the beans
Drain the soaked beans and put them in a large pot (at least 4 litres) with the pork hock and water. Bring to a boil, then partly cover and simmer gently over medium-low heat for about 1½ hours, until the beans are soft and the meat is tender.
- 500g dried red beans
- 500g pork hock
- 2.5 litres water
✅ Done when: beans are soft and the pork is tender enough to shred
Add plantain and carrot
Stir in the grated plantain, carrot and salt. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes; the plantain breaks down and thickens the broth into a creamy base.
- 1 green plantain
- 1 carrot
- 1½ tsp salt
✅ Done when: broth looks creamy and slightly thickened
Make the hogao
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Combine
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Beans were the fuel of the arrieros — the muleteers who carried goods across Antioquia's steep mountains in the 1800s. Cooked with pork and plantain, they gave the energy needed for long journeys.
They became the centrepiece of the bandeja paisa, the generous platter of beans, rice, meat, egg, plantain and arepa now considered one of Colombia's national dishes.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Creamy, smoky and deeply savoury — paisas say a day without frijoles isn't a proper day.
💡 Fun Fact
Paisas traditionally thicken the beans with grated green plantain instead of flour, which also gives them their silky texture.
Antioquia (Medellín)
6.24°N, -75.58°W
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