Pabellón Criollo
Venezuela's national dish, a genuinely tri-cultural creole plate: black beans reflecting African-heritage cooking, slow-braised shredded beef reflecting Spanish technique, and rice and plantain reflecting Indigenous and Caribbean agriculture, all served side by side rather than mixed together. The plantain must be very ripe — black-skinned, not green — to caramelize properly into the sweet tajadas that balance the savory beef and beans; a fried egg on top ('a caballo') is a well-known variant, but it's an optional add-on, not the base dish.
Meat
Ingredients
- 800g flank steak
- 1 onion, halved, plus 1 chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups black beans, cooked
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 cups white rice, cooked
- 3 very ripe (black-skinned) plantains, sliced
- Oil, salt
Steps
- Simmer the flank steak with the halved onion, garlic, and bay leaf until fork-tender, then shred.
- Sauté the chopped onion, bell pepper, tomato, and cumin into a sofrito, then stew the shredded beef in it until well coated and flavorful.
- Warm the cooked black beans with a little sofrito if desired.
- Slice the very ripe plantains and pan-fry in oil until caramelized on both sides.
- Plate the beef, beans, rice, and plantain side by side.