Refried Beans

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 med-large onion
• 1/2 tsp whole cumin
• Pepper to preference
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1/2 tblsp chili powder
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/3 tsp ground cayenne
• 1 tsp dried japapeno
• 1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
• 1 cups dried pinto beans, soaked overnight and cooked in as little water as feasible.
• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ medium lime), to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onions, whole cumin, pepper and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are turning translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and remaining spices. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the drained beans and water. Stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to low and remove the lid. Use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash up about at least half of the beans, until you reach your desired consistency. Continue to cook the beans, uncovered, stirring often, for 3 more minutes.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Taste, and add more salt and lime juice if necessary. If the beans seem dry, add a very small splash of water and stir to combine. Cover until you’re ready to serve.

Based on: https://cookieandkate.com/easy-refried-beans-recipe/

Discussion

The first thing to know is that "refried" is a naive mistranslation of "refritos" which actually means "well-fried" (in the sense of cooked intensely).

Most recipes will have you cooking some kind of paste (and I'm leaving the instructions above as I originally found them) but to my mind, if you're going to cook something intensely you can't have much water since that will limit the temperature.

When you mash and fry the beans over a medium-high flame, you get the same sort of browned crispy bits you're looking for in good hash browns, which is how the flavour really develops. Using a flat-bottomed stainless steel or well-seasoned cast iron pan with a straight-ended turner makes it easier to clear the pan at each turn.

But we don't want this to turn out too dry either, so hold back the bean water after the initial boil and add some in at the very end to the desired consistency.

Prior version of this recipe had 2 cups dried beans, which amount I never used so usually mistakenly used double the flavouring quantities of what is currently above. Go ahead and use the double values if you want a more intense flavour.