Bandeja Paisa (Colombian Beans, Rice and Pork Platter)

• 300 g Dried pinto beans
• 350 g Pork belly, skin on
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 2 tsp Fine sea salt
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 300 g Long-grain white rice
• 90 ml Vegetable oil
• 3 medium Tomato, ripe
• 6 Spring onion
• 2 tsp Ground cumin
• 400 g Minced beef
• 2 Plantain, very ripe
• 4 Egg
• 1 Lime

1. Put the dried pinto beans in a large bowl, cover with plenty of cold water, and soak for 8–12 hours. Drain and rinse well in a colander.
2. Cut the pork belly into chunky pieces. Put it in a large pot with the beans, 2 whole garlic cloves, 1 tsp fine sea salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper, then cover with water by a few centimetres.
3. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 75–90 minutes, topping up with water as needed, until the beans are tender and the pork is cooked through. Skim any excess foam from the surface as it cooks.
4. While the beans simmer, rinse the long-grain white rice until the water runs mostly clear. Cook it in a saucepan with a pinch of fine sea salt and enough water to cover by about 2 cm; bring to the boil, cover, then cook on low for 12 minutes and rest off the heat for 10 minutes.
5. Make the hogao: finely chop the tomatoes and spring onions, and finely chop the remaining 2 garlic cloves. Warm 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat, then cook the spring onions with a pinch of fine sea salt for 2 minutes until softened.
6. Add the garlic and ground cumin and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for 8–10 minutes until thick and spoonable; season with a little black pepper, then scrape into a bowl.
7. Wipe out the pan, then heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the minced beef, season with 0.5 tsp fine sea salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper, and cook for 6–8 minutes, breaking it up, until browned and any liquid has evaporated.
8. Peel the plantains and cut on a diagonal into slices about 1.5 cm thick. Heat 60 ml vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, then fry the plantain in batches for 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden; drain briefly on a plate.
9. In the same pan, pour off most of the oil, leaving a thin layer, and fry the eggs over medium heat until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, about 2–3 minutes. Season lightly with fine sea salt and black pepper.
10. Taste the beans and adjust with a little more fine sea salt if needed; if the pot looks dry, add a splash of water so they are brothy. Serve each plate with rice, a generous ladle of beans and pork, minced beef, fried plantain and a fried egg, then spoon over hogao and finish with a squeeze of lime.

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