El Frijol Feliz: Recipe for Rellenitos!
Yesterday I had a MASSIVE craving for a combination of black beans and chocolate (not as disgusting as it sounds). It hit me with surprise after browsing my pictures from Guatemala. While I was in Antigua trying to fill the void after Felipe’s departure, who had become my partner in adventure in Guatemala, I came across a quaint cooking school home to the city’s rum bar called, El Frijol Feliz (www.frijolfeliz.com). I discovered that a three hour afternoon class cost $45 dollars including a full meal and a wine bottle, so I booked the deal and ended up having a blast learning traditional Guatemala recipes. The recipe for Rellenitos is simple and delicious.
Rellenito’s are small platano cutlets with a chocolate and black bean filling. It’s a very rich yet traditional Guatemala desert that will definitely satisfy the surprise chocolate craving.
Ingredients:
- 4 Platanos (they must be yellow, not too hard, not too soft)
- Cinnamon
- 4 Cups of water
- Small can of black beans
- 8 onz. of chocolate (the best kind is the Guatemalan chocolate made with cacoa (which is chocolate in its natural form meaning the chocolate fat, also known as white chocolate, hasn’t been separated from the darker chocolate) and spices; other wise use a bittersweet chocolate)
- Oil to fry
Preparation:
1. Cut 4 platanos in slices. Boil them with cinnamon and 2 cups of water until soft. Here is my cooking partner, Alyssa cutting the platanos:
2. Melt the 8 ounces of chocolate with one small can of black beans. Let cook for about 5 minutes and then add one teaspoon of powder cinnamon. It should have a thick paste consistency.
3. Mash the platanos until they are the consistency of mashed potatoes or paste and in the mean time heat the oil to fry them in.
4. Grab a little of the mashed platanos and palm them into a round, flate surface and stuff them with a table-spoon of the chocolate-bean mixture (in the center). Wrap the mashed platanos around the mixture. Sprinkle flour on a surface and roll them over it before frying.
This is what the finished product looks like, delicious rellenitos oozing with chocolate!! Finish the rest of the rest of the chocolate with a rich, heavy red wine. Enjoy!
This looks delicious!!! And doesn’t seem that difficult to prepare – I’ll definitely give it a try one myself soon!
Thx for the comment this is def an easy recipe to make…I soooo worth the taste afterwards! It’s a nice gourmet treat.
I think it sounds delicious, and I can sort of imagine the taste in my mind. It’s funny how often we think of beans as a savory dish, but much of the world, incorporates beans with a sweet taste. I live in Japan, and there are all kinds of sweet bean desert concoctions. I wouldn’t be surprised if there existed a bean and chocolate confection here too.
I love food blogs, so I’ll be reading a lot of yours…
Hi Mary,
Thanks for the comment. Yes, I agree this is def a savory dish. A few of my friends made the same comparison with the dish to those desserts in Japan and China. I feel the use of unique ingredients in this recipe encourages me to step out of my comfort zone and be creative. I’ll be posting more such recipes up soon!
Sana