Where tortillas, savory beans, sweet plantains, and crema and queso come together for a perfect bite
In the last post I shared how I make frijoles Salvadoreños, and as I mentioned Salvadoran beans are the foundation of the Salvadoran cuisine. This week we are taking the frijoles we made last week, and making a typical Salvadoran breakfast (Desayuno Salvadoreño) on a beautiful Sunday morning with freshly brewed coffee.
What is a typical Salvadoran Breakfast? (¿Que es el desayuno tipico Salvadoreño?)
I caution you, it's a lot of food! Which is why I opt to place a smaller portion of each item on my plate. Now let's get into the good stuff, what goes on this glorious plate:
Beans: They are often served refried or stewed, adding a creamy and protein-rich element to the meal. My preferred method is refried because I love to mix in the crema and cheese.
Plantains: Plantains are probably my favorite part of this breakfast because it's a fried sweet treat. In order for the plantain to be sweet it must be ripped, you can tell by the color. The more yellow it is, the sweeter it will be, similar to a banana.
Cheese: Queso duro, a hard and crumbly cheese, is a common addition to Salvadoran breakfasts. It adds a salty contrast to the other flavors on the plate. However, I prefer "queso fresco" or fresh cheese. It's your choice!
Eggs: Eggs are often incorporated, either scrambled or fried, adding an extra layer of protein and texture to the meal. I prefer scrambled with vegetables or "entomatados," which is eggs with a tomato sauce.
Crema: Similar to sour cream, Salvadoran crema is drizzled over the dish to provide richness and a tangy flavor.
Tortillas or Pan Frances: Salvadoran handmade tortillas are made with corn flour and are thicker than most popular tortillas. If you don't want tortillas the other option is bread commonly known as "pan Frances" which translates to French bread.
Pick and choose how you want to customize your plate, either way it will be delicious! This is a staple breakfast option at any Salvadoran restaurant. Restaurants also have more options. For example they may ask if you want just beans or substitute it for casamiento. Casamiento is a mix of beans and rice. It can be whole beans and rice or refried beans with white rice. They may also offer an option to add a pupusa or meat.
How to make Salvadoran Breakfast? (¿Como hacer un Desayuno tipico Salvadoreño?)
I don't personally make all the items myself, although I'm sure you could! I prefer to buy the crema Salvadoreña, queso Salvadoreño and pan Frances at my local Salvadoran store/bakery. The eggs you can make them to your preference and the fried plantains are pretty straight forward. Now the beans are a two step process and you can choose which one you'd prefer from the options in the recipe below.
Step 1: Sopa de frijoles (Bean stew). You can find the recipe here.
Step 2:
Once the bean stew is made, you can then refry the beans.
Ingredients:
2 cups of stewed beans (Frijoles cocidos)
1/2 White or Red onion
1/2 Red or green bell pepper
3 cloves of garlic
Vegetable oil
1/2 tbsp Chicken bouillon
Salt to taste (optional)
The same ingredients are needed for both methods of refrying the beans.
Frijoles Liquados refritos (blended refried beans)
Cut and slice the onion and peppers into 1-2 inch pieces
Place a sauce pan on the stove at medium heat. Once ready add the sliced vegetables and garlic cloves to the sauce pan. You will stir fry them until the edges of the onion and garlic cloves are dark brown, and the peppers have a vibrant color.
In a blender add your stir fried veggies, the beans and chicken bouillon. You can add some of the bean broth to help blend or to adjust the consistency to your desires. If you add too much don't worry because it will evaporate while you're frying them.
Blend the beans until smooth. Taste and add salt to taste if needed. I normally don't add salt since the chicken bouillon already has salt.
Add the blended beans back into the sauce pan with oil at medium heat
You will fry them until they are boiling. You can tell they are boiling because there will be bubbles forming and poping out. Be careful as they may splatter far and burn you. I normally cover them and move them every 2-3 minutes. The longer you leave them on the heat the more solid the consistency will become since water/broth will evaporate. You can remove them from the heat once they have reached your desired consistency.
Let them cool and enjoy!
Frijoles enteros refritos (whole refried beans)
Cut and slice the onion and peppers into small pieces and mince the garlic
Place a sauce pan on the stove at medium heat. Once ready add the dices vegetables and garlic to the sauce pan. Let them sauté for about 2-3 minutes
Add the beans to the sauce pan, try not to add too much bean broth.
Add the chicken bouillon and stir well.
Once properly incorporated, grab a masher and start to smash the beans to your desired consistency.
Stir and let it sauté for about 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
Let them cool and enjoy!
How to fry sweet plantains?
If you haven't done this before, not to worry! This is a pretty easy process, all you need is the plantain itself and a pan with oil.
Start off by cutting the plantain in half longways
Then slice each half into 3 slices
Place the pan on medium heat and add the oil
Once ready place the slices to fry on medium heat
Fry 1-3 minutes on each side, depending on how firm or mushy you want them.
How to eat a Salvadoran breakfast?
The best part is sitting down and enjoying it with your favorite coffee! You can eat all the items seperately or mix everything. I personally love to mix the crema with the beans and grab a piece of tortilla or bread to eat it with. Other times I place a little bit of everything on top of my bread or tortilla. Then I mix a piece of plantain with crema or beans. Other times I mix everything. Each bite can be a different experience! Give it a go and figure out what you enjoy more.
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