Bandeja Paisa

Ingredients

• 400g dried red kidney beans
• 1 green plantain, peeled and grated, for the beans
• 150g smoked bacon or pork hock, for the beans
• 600g pork belly with skin, cut into 4 thick strips, for chicharrón
• 400g minced beef
• 4 Colombian-style chorizos
• 4 eggs
• 300g long-grain white rice
• 2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced diagonally
• 2 avocados, halved
• 4 small arepas
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 tomatoes, finely diced
• 6 spring onions, sliced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

Before you cook

• Soak the kidney beans in plenty of cold water overnight, then drain.
• Score the skin of the pork belly strips in a criss-cross pattern and rub them all over with salt.
• Make a sofrito base by mixing half the chopped onion, half the garlic, the diced tomatoes and the spring onions in a bowl.
• Peel and slice the ripe plantains on a steep diagonal about 1cm thick.

Steps

1. Put the beans in a large pot with the bacon and 2 litres of water and bring to the boil.
2. Turn the heat down and simmer the beans for 90 minutes until tender, adding hot water when they look dry.
3. Stir the grated green plantain into the beans and cook for another 30 minutes so it thickens the pot.
4. Add half the sofrito to the beans with 1 tsp salt and simmer for 15 minutes, then keep them warm.
5. Put the pork belly strips skin side down in a heavy pan with 200ml water and set it over a medium heat.
6. Let the water boil away over about 25 minutes, then continue frying the pork in its own fat for 20 minutes, turning, until the skin blisters and crackles.
7. Lift the chicharrón onto kitchen paper and keep it somewhere warm.
8. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then cook it with 550ml water and 1 tsp salt, covered, for 18 minutes.
9. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and cook the remaining onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
10. Add the minced beef, break it up and fry for 8 minutes until browned.
11. Stir in the rest of the sofrito, the cumin, salt and pepper and cook for 6 minutes until thick.
12. Fry the chorizos in a dry pan for 10 minutes, turning, until browned all over.
13. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a clean pan and fry the ripe plantain slices for 3 minutes a side until deep gold and caramelised at the edges.
14. Warm the arepas on a dry griddle for 2 minutes a side.
15. Fry the eggs in the last of the oil until the whites are set and the yolks still soft.
16. Lay a bed of rice on each large platter and spoon a generous ladle of beans beside it.
17. Arrange the minced beef, chorizo, chicharrón, fried plantain, arepa and half an avocado around the tray.
18. Set the fried egg on top of the rice and serve with lime wedges.