In the Dominican Republic, lunch is the most important meal of the day, and most travelers will learn that La Bandera Dominicana, or “The Dominican Flag,” is also the Dominican term for the national midday meal of rice, beans, and pork. It’s known as “la Bandera” in Spanish, which translates to “the flag.” Rice, beans, and chicken or beef meat are all included. Each component is designed to represent one of the flag’s colors. Because meat is more costly than most veggies, many poor households can’t afford it very often. As a result, this lunch would be memorable.
Photo by Chanhee Lee on Unsplash
La Bandera Recipe
In the Dominican Republic, lunch is the most important meal of the day, and most travelers will learn that La Bandera Dominicana, or "The Dominican Flag," is also the Dominican term for the national midday meal of rice, beans, and pork. It's known as "la Bandera" in Spanish, which translates to "the flag." Rice, beans, and chicken or beef meat are all included.
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Course Lunch
Cuisine Caribbean, Dominican
Servings 4 people
Calories 1881 kcal
2 ½ cup white rice
2 lbs chicken
2 (6-oz) cans tomato paste
2 pinches oregano
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 large red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp fresh cilantro
3 ¾ cups (900ml) water
salt and pepper, to taste
2 (16 oz) cans of pinto beans
After bringing a pot of water to a boil, add the rice. Give it a good stirring to make sure the rice is well covered by the water, then cover and cook for 20 minutes on your low gas burner's lowest heat setting. At a low-medium temperature, induction should be performed. After 20 minutes, remove the lid and turn off the heat. To fluff up the rice, toss it with a fork.
Chicken should be cut into tiny pieces. Combine it with 1 can tomato paste, half of the oregano, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and cilantro in a mixing dish. Allow for at least 30 minutes of marinating time
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Keep the marinade but remove the chicken from the bowl. Add the chicken to the saucepan and cook for 10 minutes, or until light brown.
Add the marinade to the saucepan and cook for about 5 minutes, covered. Remove the pan from the heat.
In a big saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Then add the remaining spices and the second can of tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Cook, stirring occasionally until the pinto beans are heated, about 5 minutes.
Serve the beans with rice and a side of chicken. Alternatively, put the rice in a cross form and surround it with beans and chicken for extra interest.
Keyword Dominican Republic Nation Dish, La bandera Dominican, La Bandera National Dish, La Bandera recipe, Recpe