🍳 Tacu tacu
Tacu tacu is a Peruvian pan-fried cake of leftover rice and beans, mashed together with onion and spicy ají amarillo paste, then fried until it forms a crisp golden crust around a soft centre. It is hearty and savoury with a gentle chili warmth. It is often served with a fried egg on top, which adds richness to the dish.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g cooked rice
- 250 g cooked beans (canary or white), lightly mashed
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp ají amarillo paste
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, salt
- 2 eggs
Method
- Fry the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp oil until soft, then stir in the ají paste.
- Add the beans and rice, season with salt and mash everything together into a thick mixture.
- Shape into two oval cakes in the pan and fry over medium heat, turning carefully, until a golden crust forms on both sides.
- Fry the eggs in the remaining oil.
- Serve each tacu tacu topped with a fried egg.
How to make it lighter
- Fry in a non-stick pan with 1 tbsp oil in total; 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
- Poach the egg instead of frying it.
- Use a higher proportion of beans to rice and serve with a large tomato and onion salad.
History
Tacu tacu is usually traced to Afro-Peruvian cooking in Lima, where cooks turned leftover rice and beans into a new meal. The name is thought to come from Quechua. Today it is a popular dish in Lima's homes and criollo restaurants.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →