La Bandera Dominicana
Dominican flag rice with three symbolic colors: white cheese, red kidney beans, and red stewed meat. A beloved national dish celebrating Dominican heritage.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 825
- Protein
- 52g
Ingredients
- ¾ lb beef chuck or pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 can (15 oz) canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- ½ medium white onion, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced to pencil-tip size
- 1 cup white rice, long-grain
- ½ lb queso de freír or mozzarella cheese, cut into 0.5-inch cubes
- 2 cups chicken or beef broth
Instructions
- 1
Place a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- 2
When the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, add the meat cubes in a single layer without moving them for 3 minutes so they brown on one side.
- 3
Stir the meat once and cook for another 2 minutes until the second side looks golden brown, then transfer to a clean plate.
- 4
Add the diced onion to the same skillet and stir once every 15 seconds for 2 minutes until the pieces soften and begin to turn translucent.
- 5
Add the minced garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds until the kitchen smells strongly fragrant.
- 6
Pour in the tomato sauce and scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to lift up all the stuck-on brown bits, about 20 seconds.
- 7
Return the cooked meat to the skillet and stir once to coat it in the sauce, then reduce heat to medium-low.
- 8
Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the meat is very tender when pierced with a fork.
- 9
Add the drained kidney beans to the skillet and stir gently for 1 minute until they are coated in sauce and warmed through.
- 10
In a separate 3-quart pot, bring 2 cups broth to a boil over medium-high heat, which takes about 5 minutes.
- 11
Add the rice to the boiling broth, stir once, and immediately reduce heat to low.
- 12
Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 18 minutes without lifting the lid or stirring, until all liquid is absorbed.
- 13
Remove the pot from heat and let it sit covered for 5 minutes so the rice finishes steaming.
- 14
Fluff the rice by stirring it with a fork, lifting gently to separate the grains.
- 15
Place an 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- 16
When the oil shimmers, carefully place the cheese cubes into the pan in a single layer without crowding.
- 17
Cook for 2 minutes without moving the cheese until the bottom side develops a golden-brown crust, then flip each cube with a fork.
- 18
Cook the second side for 1 minute until it is also golden brown, then transfer to a small plate lined with paper towels.
- 19
Divide the cooked rice equally between two dinner plates, mounding it in the center of each plate.
- 20
Spoon the meat and kidney bean stew onto the right side of the rice mound on each plate.
- 21
Arrange the fried cheese cubes on the left side of the rice mound on each plate, leaving the white rice visible in the center.
Tools you’ll need
- 12-inch skillet
- wooden spoon
- 3-quart pot with lid
- 8-inch skillet
- fork
- cutting board
- knife
- measuring cups
- dinner plates
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