La Bandera Dominicana
(Dominican lunch of stewed chicken or beef, red beans and rice)
Image by Jose Torres
Lunch is the biggest meal of the day for most Dominicans, and the meal they have most often is la bandera, a nourishing plate of rice, beans and a full-flavored stew.
La bandera is a reference to the nation's flag, and the Dominican Republic follows other Latin American countries — Venezuela's pabellon criollo, Colombia's bandeja paisa — in giving a nationalist bent to the name of its most popular dish.
The stew for la bandeja is usually made with chicken, but beef, pork, goat or fish can be substituted. Fried plantains and a simple salad are common accompaniments.
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- Pollo guisado (stewed chicken) -- 1 recipe
- Arroz con habichuelas -- 1 recipe
Method
- Make the pollo guisado and arroz con habichuelas according to the referenced recipes. For the beans and rice, make sure to cook the beans and rice separately instead of together as directed in the base recipe.
- Mound about a cup of rice in the middle of each diner's plate. Ladle a scoop of the chicken stew on one side of the rice and a scoop of beans on the other side. Serve immediately.
La Bandera Variations
- Optional Side Dishes: Tostones (fried plantains), yuca frita (fried cassava), or a simple salad of lettuce and tomatoes.
