Frejol Canario is pretty much a staple in a Peruvian home and my mum’s favourite. It’s the only thing she will ask anyone visiting Peru to bring back for her. Well, that and Rocoto (a red hot pepper). but we will talk about that ingredient in another post.
It’s not easy to find this specific bean here in Toronto, it’s a rare sighting and when found they are apparently “too old” according to my mum. “So, can’t you just use a similar bean in its place?” I naively asked her one day not prepared for the wrath I was about to unleash. I learned my lesson that day, there are NEVER substitutions for my mum, especially frejol canario. It’s either the right ingredient or none at all. Like I’ve said before, she’s a true Peruvian food traditionalist.
So what’s so special about these canary beans? Unlike other beans, the canary bean has a very thin skin and once cooked, a very creamy consistency that is perfect for mashing. no hard or dry patches here, just creamy delicious flavourful beans. In Peru, it is usually mashed into rice for the famous Tacu-Tacu dish or accompanying stewed meat.
So, of course, I had to try to make it myself!
Determined to use original ingredients, I made sure to stock up on “fresh” dried canary beans when I visited Peru. First week back and armed with three bags of canary beans I called my mum and asked for the recipe. Two hours, four pages and three white hairs later she finished talking me through every detail needed to make this “the right way”. Ok here we go, I think I’m ready to make the infamous Peruvian Frejol Canario!
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