Pabellón Criollo, the national dish of Venezuela, featuring shredded beef, black beans, aromatic rice, fried plantains, and arepas

Written by on in Dinner, Uncategorized
Pabellón Criollo, the national dish of Venezuela, featuring shredded beef, black beans, aromatic rice, fried plantains, and arepas
Pin
Print

Pabellón Criollo, the national dish of Venezuela, featuring shredded beef, black beans, aromatic rice, fried plantains, and arepas

Recipe by The Cooking LawyerCourse: DinnerDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

8

hours 
Total time

8

hours 

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • Non-stick cooking oil

  • Shredded Beef

  • 3 lbs cubed beef, like stew mix

  • 1 TBS Adobo seasoning – see below to make your own

  • 16 oz. mild salsa

  • 1 onion sliced

  • 1 bell pepper sliced

  • Black Beans

  • 2 cans black beans – not drained

  • 1 onion, diced

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tsp. Adobo seasoning – see below

  • Fried Plantains

  • 2 ripe plantains – see note

  • 1 cup vegetable oil – for frying

  • Salt for seasoning

  • Arepas

  • 1.5 cups masa harina

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 2 cups warm water

  • Adobo seasoning

  • 1 TBS garlic salt

  • 1 tsp cumin

  • 1 tsp turmeric

  • 1 tsp paprika

  • 2 tsp dried oregano

  • 1 TBS onion powder

  • 1 tsp black pepper

  • Rice

  • 2 cups rice

  • 1 onion, diced

  • 1 bell pepper, diced

  • 4 cups of water

Directions

  • Adobo seasoning
  • Mix in a bowl, garlic salt, onion powder, turmeric, cumin, paprika, oregano, and black pepper.
  • Keep in a shaker for easy seasoning.
  • Shredded Beef
  • To base of slow cooker, add beef.
  • Season with Adobo seasoning.
  • Top with salsa, onion, and bell pepper.
  • Cook for 8 hours on low.
  • When cooking is done, shred meat with two forks.
  • Rice
  • Sweat onion and bell pepper with non-stick cooking spray in medium saucepan until softened.
  • Add rice and toast for 1 minute.
  • Add water, stir, and bring to a boil.
  • Once boiling, turn heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Arepas
  • Mix masa harina, flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
  • Slowly add water 1/4 cup at a time. Mix the dough until it is combined and is somewhat sticky.
  • Wet your hands, and make discs about 1/4 inch thick. Add discs to a plate so they do not touch.
  • Once all the discs are made, heat a skillet on medium heat.
  • Spray skillet with non-stick cooking oil.
  • Cook the discs for about 2-3 minutes per side until browned.
  • Serve alongside meat, arepas, black beans, and rice.
  • Fried Plantains
  • In frying pan, heat oil.
  • Slice plantains.
  • Add the plantains to the pan. It is best to crowd the pan for even cooking.
  • Once brown, turn over and let the other side brown.
  • Add to a plate with a paper towel to soak any excessive oil.
  • Season with salt.
  • Serve alongside meat, arepas, black beans, and rice.
  • Black beans
  • Sweat onion with non-stick cooking spray in a medium saucepan until softened.
  • Add Adobo seasoning and cook for one minute with the onions.
  • Add black beans and stir.
  • Bring to boil.
  • Turn heat to low, and let simmer for ten minutes while covered. Stir occasionally.
  • Serve alongside meat, arepas, black beans, and rice.

Notes

  • If your plantains are green, add to a brown paper bag until they turn yellow or brown.
  • Traditionally, Venezuelan masa is made with masa and it white. I didn’t have it on-hand, so I modified the recipe for masa harina. If you have the right type of masa, cut out the all-purpose flour and the baking powder.

My daughter learned about this dish in Spanish class and wanted me to try and make it. I researched multiple different recipes, and merged them into this one. The family loved it! And it was a great slow cooker meal.

Sign up for notification of my next recipe.