Cook and eat like a Costa Rican

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm actually fortunate enough to be attending what should be a great Thanksgiving feast this year, and expect more on that later in the blog.


I've mentioned gallo pinto-one of Costa Rica's most common dishes-previously on this blog. As many of you may know, I'm not a big cooking enthusiast, although I'm not in any way against it. I just find cleaning equally exciting-so I often am engaged in you cook-I clean exchanges. Regardless, I realized the other day that I didn't know how to make gallo pinto. And that sharing how to make gallo pinto would be a great way to share about C-Rica with all of you, my friends, family, coworkers, and random netizens. Note, I think I've said this before, but gallo pinto translates to English as 'spotted rooster' and gets its name (supposedly) from its likeness to the coat of a spotted rooster.

So, I convinced Laura, a delightful and kind junior at the high school, to allow me over to her house to watch her mom cook gallo pinto. It's nothing special, her mom or she make it every morning or evening, as it's what the family eats (almost) every day for breakfast. That's pretty common among Costa Ricans. I was super excited when Laura informed me that her semi-retired dad is the guy that travels around my town in the afternoon selling pupusas, empanadas, coffee, and various other snacks to all the merchants (afternoon coffee is a big deal here). Her mom makes these snacks, meaning, she's a pro. Above is a picture of me and Laura's mom in their kitchen, and no I wasn't working hard and sweating, that's wear my rain jacket allowed in some water on the bike ride over.


On to the process. I don't have exact measurements, because a woman who's been making gallo pinto for more than twenty years doesn't need a measuring cup. This should serve 3-4 people.

Step 1: finely chop half a red or green pepper, half an onion, and about half a cup of cilantro. She used two types of cilantro, including the never before seen by me type pictured to the right. Looks like dandelion leaves, smells and tastes just like cilantro.

Step 2: cover bottom of pan with cooking oil (maybe 1/4 or 1/3 a cup). Turn on medium/high, add chopped onion, cilantro, and pepper. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.

Step 3: add a normal coffe mug full of yesterday's beans (do not strain). I'm guessing this was a bit over a cup, but for real, she just filled up a mug. Allow to cook for one minute.

Step 4: add about two cups of yesterday's rice (already cooked). Stir. Turn up to high. Cook for one minute.

Step 5: add a tablespoon of Salsa Lizano, more or less to taste. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. (This is a great time to fry eggs/scramble eggs/fry plantains/make toast/warm tortillas: one or more of these things is what is normally served with gallo pinto.)

Step 6: eat.



Note: the three ingredients that are probably most difficult for the average American family to have would be: yesterday's beans, yesterday's rice (well, not Asian-Americans), and Salsa Lizano. As Costa Ricans eat rice and beans with (almost) every lunch and dinner, it's a non-issue here. I've written previously about Salsa Lizano, which is like Costa Rica's ketchup/ranch dressing/salt and pepper. (They do use ketchup a lot--but gangster European style mixed with mayonnaise). 

I can easily say that, tied with chicharrones, gallo pinto is by far my favorite Costa Rican dish (yes, I know that neither dish is uniquely Costa Rican). I'd highly recommend trying this out. Shoot me an email if you have questions. Use the pictures instead of my measurements to guide your amounts.