The Principles of Mexican Cooking in One Simple Dish: How to Make Rodrigo Cervantes’ Enfrijoladas

My first memory of this dish is very warm: I was maybe seven or eight and I would spend the night at my aunt’s place. I remember her making it for me while I sat at the kitchen table and watched her go through the process in a matter of fact way: Heat the beans, warm tortillas, fill cheese, fold them, pour the hot refried beans sauce on top; add a handful queso fresco, a drizzle of sour cream and be done. No one in the family cared for this dish, so it was usually me after hours eating next to my sleepless aunt. 

It’s very humble and unassuming, yet packed with the foundations of Mexican cooking.

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Ingredients

Serves: 4

Refried beans sauce:
500g cooked or canned pinto or black beans
50g of white onion (or ¼)
1 clove of garlic
1 dried chilli (I used ancho)
20g lard (or butter, or margarine or just oil)
8g salt 

Enfrijoladas:
12 corn tortillas 
150g queso fresco (feta cheese, mozzarella, ricotta / chicken or mushrooms)
80g sour cream
30g red onion 
1 avocado (optional)
Hot sauce like this “hot and crispy salsa macha”

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The recipe

If you’re going to the trouble…soak the beans overnight and cook according to the instructions on the packet or until the beans are easily squished between your thumb and finger. If you’re not, then get some tin canned beans, drain and wash them. Either pinto beans or black beans will do. (I’m using pinto here.)

Blitz together the beans with onion, garlic, chilli and salt. Add a little water at the time until you get a saucy texture, in this case think of them as a sauce rather than the thicker refried beans. You want it to be smoothish; I like a bit of texture but most people like it super smooth.

In a medium hot pan (big enough to hold the beans) melt the lard (or fat). Traditionally in Mexico everything good is made with lard. In this case, as seen in the photographs, I wasn’t able to get my hands on any so used butter instead.

Once the fat is gently bubbling, pour over a little of the refried bean sauce into the pan, it will sizzle. Just make sure it is not too hot. Then pour over the rest. 

With a spatula, slowly incorporate the fat into the beans. Taste and adjust salt or water.

In another pan, heat up the tortillas. 

Traditionally, the corn tortillas are passed through hot oil. In my case, since I am putting grated mozzarella cheese inside, I heat the tortillas, add the cheese, let it melt and then pass them through the sauce. 

If you’re using a precooked ingredient like pulled chicken, then you just need to heat the tortilla, pass it through the refried beans sauce and then fill them with the filling of your choice. 

To finish up, plate the tortillas and pour over the sauce. Garnish with feta cheese, onion, coriander and sour cream. A good dollop of Hot and Crispy Salsa Macha goes a long way, but any hot sauce will do.

Rodrigo Cervantes is from Mexico City, but lives in east London with his family. He is head chef at Bad Manners. Read more of his work on Something Curated here.

All photos by Rodrigo Cervantes.