Antioquia's iconic platter in all its abundance: creamy beans, rice, ground beef, chicharrón, chorizo, ripe plantain, egg, avocado, and arepa. Many components, each with a clear purpose, come together in one hearty and unmistakably Colombian meal.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Rinse the cargamanto beans and place them in the pressure cooker with the water and part of the salt. Cook for 40 minutes once full pressure is reached. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to drop naturally for about 10 minutes before releasing the rest according to your cooker's instructions. The beans should be fully tender in a thick broth, never firm at the center.
While the beans cook, finely chop the green onion, tomato, and garlic. Heat about one third of the vegetable oil and cook everything with the cumin and pepper over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until the hogao is thick and juicy with no raw tomato flavor. Reserve half.
Leave half of the hogao in the skillet, add the ground beef and another portion of the salt, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking up the meat, until fully cooked and lightly browned. Stir the remaining hogao into the tender beans and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, until creamy and the broth coats a spoon.
In a clean skillet, brown the chorizo for 4 to 5 minutes, turning until heated through and well colored. Remove it and warm the pork chicharrón in the same skillet for 3 to 4 minutes, until its surface becomes dry and crisp again. Keep both warm.
Slice the ripe plantain lengthwise. Heat the remaining vegetable oil and fry the slices for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deeply golden and tender; transfer to paper towels. Fry the eggs in the same oil for about 3 minutes, until the whites are fully set and the yolks reach your preferred doneness. Season with the remaining salt.
Heat the cooked white rice and arepas, and slice the avocado. Build each platter with beans, rice, ground beef, chicharrón, chorizo, ripe plantain, one arepa, avocado, and a fried egg. Serve immediately: it should look abundant yet organized, with creamy beans, crisp pork, and every component still clearly recognizable. 🇨🇴
