Hey everyone! If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m Brazilian, and like any good Brazilian, I love rice and beans. I’ve shared a traditional Brazilian rice and beans recipe before, but recently I’ve been intrigued by a bean recipe that’s gone viral. At first, I was skeptical because it includes some ingredients I wouldn’t normally associate with beans, like…… an orange. However, after seeing multiple people rave about it, I decided to give it a try, and I’m thrilled to report that it’s one of the best bean recipes I’ve ever tasted! See below all the necessary ingredients for this Viral Brazilian Beans Recipe:
If you’re curious about how this tastes compared to traditional Brazilian beans, I think it tastes exactly like them, except we’ve grown accustomed to adding Sazon seasoning to our beans. This tasted just like Brazilian beans with Sazon, but it doesn’t have Sazon. So, I think that somehow the combination of potato, tomato, and orange gives the taste we all crave but can’t replicate with just garlic and onions.
I think this is the perfect recipe for those that live abroad and don’t have access to Sazon or those who don’t want to use Sazon for health reasons.
Ingredients:
- 1 Onion
- ½ Head of Garlic
- Handful of Fresh Parsley and Green Onions ( add as much as you like)
- Olive Oil
- 350g of Pinto Beans (pre-soaked for 12 hours, see notes)
- 1 Tomato
- 1 Potato
- 2 or 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 Lime
- ½ Orange
- water (see notes*)
Method:
- In a bowl, soak the beans in water with lemon juice for 12 hours* (see note).
- After 12 hours, drain the soaked beans and set them aside.
3. In a food processor, combine half an onion and all of the garlic, parsley, green onions. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Blend until smooth and set it aside.
4.In a pressure cooker, sauté the blended mixture with olive oil for two minutes or until fragrant. Add the drained beans and increase the heat.
5.Add the tomato, remaining half onion, potato, bay leaves, and enough water to cover the ingredients by two inches or so. Ensure that the water level is below the maximum line in your pressure cooker.**
6. Close the pressure cooker, increase the heat to high, and lower it once pressure is achieved. If making it in an instant pot, close your pot and set it to pressure cook on high for 15 min*** (see note)
7. Cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and release the pressure before opening the lid.
8. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Gather the tomato, onion, and potato from the pot. Blend them until smooth, then return the mixture to the pot. (you can add a ladle full of beans to help your blender, blend everything nicely)
9. Season with salt and squeeze in the juice of half an orange**** (see notes).
Notes:
- *It is recommended that you let beans soak for 12 hours or so. In my experience, it doesn’t have to be exactly 12 hours. The soaking time should be at least 6 hours long and not more than 24 hours. Soaking time is an important step as it reduces cooking time as well as improves digestion.
- ** Water must cover the beans and be above them by two inches or so. In other words, that would be 3 cups of water for every cup of dry beans you add to your recipe.
- ***Cooking time varies depending on the freshness of your beans. Fresher beans require less time than older beans. I recommend checking the package and looking for when your beans were packaged. If your beans are closer to a year old, they will need to cook for longer, around 25 minutes. If your beans are fresh, you can get away with pressure cooking them for 10-15 minutes.
- ****I debated a lot whether to add the orange or not. My advice is to taste the beans without it first. Then add a little bit of orange juice and taste, adding more gradually according to your personal preference. I ended up not using the full amount as my orange was big, and I felt if I added the whole thing, it would make my beans sour.
How to Serve and/or Pairings:
- Serve the beans as a side dish alongside rice, farofa, grilled meats, eggs, or a simple salad for a complete Brazilian meal.
- You can also use these beans to make a simple bean soup. I do this for my kids all the time, and they make an excellent quick and easy kiddie meal. I even like to freeze some of it into smaller containers just for this purpose. To make the soup I take the beans I have made and blend them with some more water and add it to a pot. Once it boils, I add shortcut pasta to it. Stir constantly so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan until your pasta is al dente. Adjust the salt and serve.
Storage Instructions:
To store leftover Brazilian beans, allow them to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or freeze for longer-term storage. To reheat them you can let it thaw inside your fridge. Alternatively, you can also use your microwave to speed things up a bit and then transfer them to a pot.
My grandmother always liked to boil the beans whenever she would serve leftovers. I always like to do the same. And never, ever freeze beans ( or anything else) once again if they had been frozen and you have thawed them. That is also why I prefer to use smaller containers to freeze things.
Common Substitutions:
- Feel free to customize the recipe by using different varieties of beans, such as black beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans.
Troubleshooting:
- If the beans are too watery, simmer them uncovered for a few additional minutes to allow the excess liquid to evaporate and make sure to keep stirring it once in awhile
- If the beans are too thick, simply add a splash of water or broth to achieve your desired consistency.
- If your beans are not tasting great add more salt. I find that beans need more salt than most foods to actually taste good. So if it doesn’t taste great, add more salt!
Viral Brazilian Bean Recipe
Equipment
- pressure cooker or instant pot
Ingredients
- 1 Onion
- ½ Head of Garlic
- Handful of Fresh Parsley and Green Onions add as much as you like
- Olive Oil
- 350 g of Pinto Beans pre-soaked for 12 hours, see notes
- 1 Tomato
- 1 Potato
- 2 or 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 Lime
- ½ Orange see notes
- water see notes
Instructions
- In a bowl, soak the beans in water with lemon juice for 12 hours* (see note).
- In a food processor, combine half an onion and all of the garlic, parsley, green onions. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Blend until smooth and set it aside.
- After 12 hours, drain the soaked beans and set them aside.
- In a pressure cooker, sauté the blended mixture with olive oil for two minutes or until fragrant. Add the drained beans and increase the heat.
- Add the tomato, remaining half onion, potato, bay leaves, and enough water to cover the ingredients by two inches or so. Ensure that the water level is below the maximum line in your pressure cooker.**
- Close the pressure cooker, increase the heat to high, and lower it once pressure is achieved. Cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and release the pressure before opening the lid. (If making it in an instant pot, close your pot and set it to pressure cook on high for 15 min)*** (see note)
- Remove the bay leaves and discard.
- Gather the tomato, onion, and potato from the pot. Blend them until smooth, then return the mixture to the pot. (you can add a ladle full of beans to help your blender blend everything nicely)
- Season with salt and squeeze in the juice of half an orange**** (see notes).
Notes
Nutrition
Give this weird Brazilian beans recipe a try, and I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the delicious flavors it brings to your table! and what is best? No Sazon required!
I have watched several people make this recipe. I believed I have tracked the first person who posted it though. If you want to see the video click here to see the video posted on Instagram. If I am wrong, and this was not the first person to post the video, then please let me know and I will correct it. 🙂
If you try this recipe let me know what you think below, and don’t forget to follow tastyrecollections on instagram.
Until next time,
Claudia
Just a clarification, did you use lemon or lime juice when soaking the beans?
Hi Theresa! I used a lime. Either or would work. I use whatever I have in my fridge. If using a lemon just use less. I always used fresh… like from an actual lime or lemon, not something in a bottle or carton. Hope that helps!