Refried Beans

Refried Beans


1 pound of dried beans (pinto, canary, or flor de mayo)
½ onion
1 clove of garlic
1 chile de arbol
Vegetable oil (enough to cover the bottom of a large skillet)
Salt to taste


Dried beans can take a while to cook...so in order to speed up the process, wash them, and then soak the beans overnight in water to soften them (if you don’t do this, it’s not a fatal error, but they’ll just take longer to cook).

Put the beans (pre-soaked or not...but definitely washed) in a large pot with plenty of water. Add the onion, saving a small peice for later – one petal will be enough, the peeled clove or garlic, and about a half teaspoon of salt (we’ll add more later). Cook the beans until very soft (so that you can easily smash them between your fingers). The cooking time will vary greatly depending on whether or not they were soaked, and what kind of bean it is. Be careful as you are cooking them not to let all the water evaporate – add water as needed until they are fully cooked.

In a big saucepan, heat the vegetable oil with the onion petal that you saved and the chile de arbol until the onion is browned (it will be very hot – careful!). Take the saucepan off the heat and let the oil cool down a bit before adding in half of the strained beans (VERY IMPORTANT: If you put the beans in the oil while it is still really hot you will create a burning oil shower that is not pleasant in the least). After you put the beans in the pan add salt and stir. Let the beans cook on high for about 5 minutes, then begin using the back of a big spoon to smash the beans in the pan as they cook until you have smashed most of them. Take out the chile and the onion before serving.

You can refry the rest of the beans as well, or you can put them in an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze them for another day!

...From my cousin who lived in Mexico for several years.