Spicy Brazilian Burrito Bowls recipe featuring seasoned rice and beans, garlic cilantro lime slaw, and crispy fried plantains. So good // almost vegan.
SCALE
INGREDIENTS
for the rice:
- 1 1/2 cups white long grain rice, uncooked
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups salsa (mild, medium, or hot! you decide)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons oil or butter
for the black beans:
- 2 14 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 teaspoons EACH chili powder and cumin
for the garlic cilantro slaw:
- 1/4 cup EACH oil and water
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
- 2–3 cloves garlic (less if you’re sensitive to garlicky things)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- juice of 2 limes
- ½ cup light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 4 cups shredded cabbage (I just used a bagged slaw mix)
for the plantains:
- vegetable oil for frying
- 4 green plantains
INSTRUCTIONS
- Rice: Place the ingredients in a rice cooker and cook until done.
- Black Beans: Heat the black beans with the spices in a small saucepan until warmed through, adding a little water or oil as necessary. Keep heat on low to keep warm.
- Slaw: Pulse the oil, water, green onions, cilantro, garlic, salt, lime juice, and Greek yogurt in a food processor until mostly smooth. Toss the cabbage with enough sauce to coat – reserve the remaining sauce.
- Plantains: Peel the plantains and chop them into chunks about 1 inch wide. Pour enough oil into a heavy skillet so the plantains will be partially covered in oil. Preheat over medium high heat. Add the plantains, fry for a few minutes (you should see bubbles – if not, turn up the heat), flip and fry for a few more minutes, and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Smash them with the back of a wooden spoon until they break open slightly. Put back in the oil and fry for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate; sprinkle with salt. They should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, like French fries.
- Assembly: Serve a scoop of rice, beans, and slaw into the bowls. Add the plantains on top with a few cilantro leaves. Drizzle with extra sauce. DEVOUR.
NOTES
These make for great leftovers! The plantains won’t be as crispy, but IMO they’re still good heated up a day or two later. 
The slaw is the one element that should not be tossed together until you’re ready to serve. If making ahead, just save everything separately in the fridge and toss the slaw together just before serving.
To make this vegan, sub the Greek yogurt in the sauce with a vegan alternative or just use a little more oil to make it more like a dressing.
