Tacu Tacu (Peruvian Rice and Bean Cake)

About This Recipe

Tacu tacu is a Peruvian dish born from resourcefulness, originally created to use up leftover rice and beans from the day before, mashed together and pan-fried into a dense, crispy-edged cake. What started as humble, practical home cooking has become a genuine culinary institution in Peru, served at upscale restaurants as well as home tables, often topped with a fried egg, plantain, and steak or seafood for a more substantial presentation. The technique that defines tacu tacu is using day-old rice and beans, which have dried out slightly and hold together far better than freshly cooked versions when mashed and fried. The rice and beans are combined with sauteed onion, garlic, and aji amarillo, mashed together into a cohesive mixture, then formed into a patty and pan-fried in a generous amount of oil until a deeply golden, crisp crust forms on the outside while the interior stays warm and slightly creamy. Served with a fried egg on top and slices of fried plantain alongside, tacu tacu is Peruvian comfort food that turns leftovers into something genuinely craveable -- crispy, savory, and satisfying.

Ingredients

Serves 3

• 2 cupscooked white rice(day-old, cold)
• 1.5 cupscooked pinto or canary beans(day-old, with some cooking liquid)
• 3 tbspneutral oil
• 1onion(diced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 tbspaji amarillo paste
• 1 tspsalt
• 3eggs(for topping)
• 1ripe plantain(sliced and fried, for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Saute the base

   Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Cook onion 5 minutes until soft, add garlic and aji amarillo paste, cooking 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

2. 2

   Mash the beans

   Add the cooked beans and mash roughly with a fork or potato masher, leaving some texture.

3. 3

   Combine with rice

   Add cold rice and salt, mixing thoroughly until the rice and mashed beans form a cohesive mixture.

4. 4

   Shape and fry

   Add remaining oil to the pan. Press the mixture into an even cake shape and fry 5-6 minutes per side until a deeply golden, crisp crust forms.

5. 5

   Fry the eggs

   In a separate pan, fry eggs sunny-side up.

6. 6

   Serve

   Slice or scoop the tacu tacu onto plates, top each portion with a fried egg, and serve with fried plantain slices alongside.

Variations

• •

  Top with grilled steak (tacu tacu a lo pobre) for a more substantial, traditional restaurant-style presentation.

• •

  Use black beans instead of pinto or canary beans for a different flavor and color.

• •

  Add a splash of the reserved bean cooking liquid to the mixture if it feels too dry to hold together.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked tacu tacu up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a dry pan over medium heat to restore some crispness, rather than microwaving.

Frequently Asked Questions