Frejol Colado, Peruvian Sweet Black Bean Pudding
Frejol colado is a specialty of Canete and Chincha, the coastal valleys south of Lima where much of Peru's Afro-Peruvian community has deep roots. It turns the humble black bean into a dessert, an idea that feels surprising until you remember sweet red bean paste across East Asia. The beans are cooked, blended, and then reduced low and slow with sweetener and warm spice until they collapse into a dark, glossy pudding, and toasted sesame goes over the top for crunch and aroma. The traditional sweetener is chancaca, unrefined cane sugar, cooked down for a long time; here dates do that job, bringing their own caramel notes plus the fiber the cane sugar lacks. Cook the beans from dried and unsalted so the dessert stays clean. It is proof that the cheapest thing in the pantry can end the meal as easily as it starts it.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Black beans, cooked from dried, drained
- 7 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened soy milk
- 1 stick cassia cinnamon
- 2 Cloves
- 2 tbsp Sesame seeds, toasted, to garnish
Method
- Soak the pitted dates in a little hot water for 5 minutes to soften them, then blend them with the black beans and soy milk until completely smooth. A long blend is what gives the pudding its glossy, uniform texture, since there is no straining step to catch lumps.
- Scrape the puree into a wide, heavy saucepan and add the cinnamon stick and cloves. A wide pan matters, because the whole point is to drive off water and concentrate the beans.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly and scraping the bottom, until the puree darkens, thickens, and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 15 to 20 minutes. This slow reduction is the colado, and it is where the raw bean taste cooks off and a deep, almost fudgy sweetness takes over.
- Fish out the cinnamon and cloves. The pudding should now hold a soft mound on a spoon. If it stiffens too far, loosen it with a splash more soy milk.
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until they smell nutty and turn one shade darker. Spoon the warm pudding into small cups and shower the sesame over the top.
- Serve warm or chilled. It sets firmer in the fridge and is often eaten cold the next day.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 190 calories, 8 g protein, 8 g fiber, 30 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
