Frijoles Fritos

I hope this isn’t news to you, but refried beans are traditionally made with lard. I give them a vegan makeover with coconut manna. Manna is similar to a coconut butter and has that creeeeaminess that lard would bring. It really changes the fl avor of the beans. Manna is heat sensitive and must be cooked on low to preserve the fl avor. You could serve these beans with virtually any dish, but I particularly like them with Chiles Rellenos (this page), Hongos a la Diabla (this page), quesadillas (see beginning on this page), and chilaquiles (see this page and this page).

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Step 1

Warm a large skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the coconut manna, dried chiles, and garlic; turn the heat to low; and cook, stirring, until the chiles and garlic are dark brown, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat if it starts to burn (you’ll see steam). Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the chiles and garlic, leaving the oil in the skillet.

Step 2

Add the beans and liquid to the skillet and mash with a potato masher, leaving half the beans whole, then bring to a boil and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt before serving.

Step 3

NOTE Coconut manna, also known as coconut butter, is creamier and richer than coconut oil. The manna is made from processing coconut fl esh (not just extracting the oil from the fl esh).