Costa Rican Chifrijo Bowls with Crispy Pork

Name: Costa Rican Chifrijo Bowls with Crispy Pork
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Salvadoran & Central American
Ingredients: 12 oz pork shoulder (or pork belly), in ¾-inch cubes; 2 cans (15.5 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 1 small onion (half diced for beans, half for pico); 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 cup long-grain rice; 2 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped; ½ bunch cilantro, chopped; 1 lime; 2 avocados, diced; 2 oz tortilla chips; 2 tbsp oil; 1 tbsp Worcestershire or Salsa Lizano; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp ground cumin; ½ tsp chili powder; 1 tsp salt; black pepper

LunchSalvadoran & Central American50 minServes 4780 kcal31 g protein

Costa Rica's favorite bar bowl: rice and saucy red beans topped with crisp, spiced chicharrón-style pork, fresh pico de gallo and avocado, with tortilla chips for scooping.

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Ingredients

12 oz pork shoulder (or pork belly), in ¾-inch cubes
2 cans (15.5 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 small onion (half diced for beans, half for pico)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup long-grain rice
2 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
1 lime
2 avocados, diced
2 oz tortilla chips

From your pantry: 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp Worcestershire or Salsa Lizano, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp chili powder, 1 tsp salt, black pepper.

Instructions

Start the rice. Make the pico: mix the tomatoes, half the onion (finely diced), cilantro, lime juice and a pinch of salt and let it sit.
Toss the pork with the smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder and ½ tsp salt. Cook in 1 tbsp oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high, stirring now and then, until browned and crisp at the edges and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
In a saucepan, soften the remaining onion in the rest of the oil over medium, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, beans, Worcestershire or Lizano and ¼ cup water and simmer, mashing a few beans, until creamy and hot, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Build bowls: rice on the bottom, then beans, crispy pork, a big spoonful of pico and avocado. Tuck tortilla chips around the edge for scooping.

Tip: Salsa Lizano, Costa Rica's tangy-sweet vegetable sauce, is what makes it taste right; look for it in Latin aisles. Leftover carnitas or crisped bacon are quick stand-ins for the pork.