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Honduran Baleadas, a large taco made with mashed beans, cotija cheese and sour cream, garnished with cilantro, scallions and tomatoes. Add a scrambled egg for a special version of this classic Honduran street food.
Baleadas are oversized tacos with thick tortillas, refried beans, cotija cheese and sour cream. They are a popular street food in Honduras. There are different varieties but the simple baleada is just as described.
A version called mixed baleada or ‘mixta’ adds scrambled eggs. If you add chicken, ground meat or sausage to a ‘mixta baleada’, you get a ‘special baleada’.
Garnishes are individualistic but may include cilantro, scallions, pickled onions or jalapeños, a type of pico de gallo called chirmol, pickled cabbage or avocado.
The flour tortillas used in baleadas are similar to Mexican tortillas but thicker. They are rolled out to about 1/8th of an inch, or 2mm. Like all flatbreads, they are best right off the griddle. You can use store bought tortillas if you don’t have the time to make them yourself but they are easy to make so make them yourself if you can.
I made mine using my favorite food processor method. I place the dry ingredients in the processor and pulse a few times to mix. I then slowly drizzle in the wet ingredients. Finally, I add just enough flour until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides. Then I remove the dough, knead for a minute or two on a floured surface, coat in oil, cover in plastic and let rest for 30-60 minutes.
Just cut into single serving sizes and roll out into a circle. Cook on a hot, oiled griddle until puffy and golden. Click here for step-by-step instructions with pictures on how to make Honduran tortillas.
The beans used in baleadas are refried black or red beans, seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin, onions and garlic. I made mine in the crockpot. After soaking the beans overnight, I put them in the crockpot with water, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and although not traditionally Honduran, one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.
After about six hours in a crockpot, I mash them with a bean masher. At this point I consider them done but for a real re-fried bean recipe, you would then fry in lard or coconut oil to add even more flavor.
If you can’t find cotija cheese, you could always use queso fresca or feta cheese. Honduran sour cream is saltier than American sour cream. It tastes similar to Mexican sour cream (crema agria) but is thicker.
It is packaged in a bag and I saw a street vendor just snip the corner and use it like a baker would use a piping bag. Genius. Use whatever sour cream you can find. There isn’t enough of a difference to worry about wether you can find the ‘right’ sour cream.
Baleadas are easy to find in Honduras, especially along the northern coast. Street vendors make them and are kept busy with their large fan base. If you are used to making your own refried beans and tortillas then you will have some always on hand.
I can see why this is such a popular national dish when all you really have to do is assemble and maybe cook some eggs to add to it.
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Yield: 8 Baleadas
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Honduran Baleadas, a large taco made with mashed beans, cotija cheese and sour cream, garnished with cilantro, scallions and tomatoes. Add a scrambled egg for a special version of this classic Honduran street food.
Ingredients
8 cups refried beans, heated
8 warm tortillas
4 cups cotija cheese
2 cups sour cream
8 scrambled eggs (optional)
Optional Garnishes
cherry tomatoes
scallions
parsley
avocado
pickled onions or jalapeño
pickled cabbage
Instructions
Spread 1 cup of refried beans evenly over each tortilla.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cotija cheese over each tortilla.
Pipe or dollop 1/4 cup of sour cream over each tortilla.
Add scrambled eggs if desired for Baleadas Especial, (optional).
Garnish as desired.
Fold in half.
Notes
If you add eggs it is commonly known as Baleadas Mixte.
If you add chicken, pork, steak or sausage it is known as Baleadas Especial.
Garnishes are optional and each vendor has their own spin on Baleadas.
You can make your own refried beans or use canned.
You can make your own tortillas or use store bought.
A baleada is a variant of soft tacos with a few differences. It is a traditional Honduran food that is made from flour tortilla and folded in half like a taco with a variety of fillings inside. Almost all varieties of the dish have mashed fried red beans and crumbled cheese inside with other ingredients.
A baleada is a traditional Honduran dish composed of a flour tortilla, filled with mashed fried red beans (Native from Central or South America), thick cream (mantequilla Hondureña), and crumbled hard salty cheese. It originates from the north coast of Honduras.
Carneada is considered one of Honduras' national dishes, known as plato típico when served in Honduran restaurants. While it is a type of dish, a carneada or carne asada, like its Mexican counterpart, is usually more of a social event with drinks and music centered on a feast of barbecued meat.
Once filled, the baleada is folded over and served like a soft taco. It is a simple dish but in this simplicity lies the key to its success: versatility. The baleada is the basis on which all the tastes and traditions of each Honduran region converge.
Doña Tere gave the dish the name baleada, which means woman who has been shot, as a sassy remark to some late-night customers. The tortilla is the ammo shell, the beans are bullets, and the cheese gunpowder.
In Roatan, most baleadas sencillas (simple baleadas, which have just the basic beans, cheese, and cream) will cost you only about $1.50. The ones you load up will cost a bit more – perhaps stretching up to $5 if you jam-pack it like a burrito.
The cuisine of Honduras depends heavily on ingredients such as fish, beans, seafood, corn and the ever-popular tortilla, plantains, yucca, cabbage, pineapple, plum, papaya, passion fruit, and other regional staples. Chicken, beef, and pork are very popular and are present in many of Honduras's favorite dishes.
It also happens to be the national drink of #Nicaragua . It is a traditional drink made with ground maize (corn) mixed with cocoa, agave or honey and cinnamon, vanilla and a variety of spices. But everyone has their own recipe and pinol recipes can vary widely.
Dishes tend to rely on spices like cumin, curry, allspice and achiote for flavour and also use lime juice and fresh herbs. Tortillas and refried beans are staples of the Honduran diet and much of the population eat tortillas with every meal.
Most people eat breakfast around 9:30 a.m.—tortillas with beans and eggs, or an empanada (fried tortillas with cheese or squash or ham inside). Between 9 and noon are the most important working hours.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook each tortilla until browned and lightly puffed, about 1 minute per side. Layer refried beans, avocado, and queso fresco onto warm tortillas, then drizzle crema over top. Fold tortillas in half to eat.
Baleada is one of the most famous Honduran dishes, made of a thick wheat flour tortilla filled with mashed fried beans and, depending who's making them, other ingredients such as cheese, eggs, avocados, hot sauce, and delicious Honduran sour cream known as mantequilla.
Tacos are a common form of antojitos, or Mexican street food, which have spread around the world. Three varieties of taco (clockwise from left): carnitas, carne asada, and al pastor.
The Baliada Regular was spread down the center with a broad stripe of reddish refried beans–rather than pintos, Honduran frijoles are made with small red beans that are sometimes simply called “Honduran red beans”–a thick bead of Honduran crema, more assertively flavored than American sour cream, possibly seasoned with ...
A tostada has a pretty simple construction: it's like a taco, but flat. It's usually made with a fried corn tortilla, topped with refried beans, shredded cheese, salsa, and other toppings.
Introduction: My name is Chrissy Homenick, I am a tender, funny, determined, tender, glorious, fancy, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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