Mexican-Style Black Bean Patties with Fried Egg #Recipe by Leslie Karst

This is a recipe I’ve adapted from the New York Times, which looked so yummy, I had to try it right away. And I’m so glad I did! (It was also the perfect use for some leftover rice I had handy.) The Times recommended serving the patties in a hamburger bun with lettuce, tomatoes, and other traditional burger condiments, but I decided to instead serve mine with a Mexican-inflected salad and flour tortillas. The topping of the fried egg makes this healthy dish into a delicious, flavorful treat! 

 

Mexican-Style Black Bean Patties with Fried Egg

Ingredients

1 (15-oz.) can black beans

½ cup cooked brown rice, cooled

½ cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems

½ cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)

½ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 teaspoons water

3 eggs

flour, for dusting patties

neutral oil (such as canola) for frying

Directions

Drain the beans in a colander set over a bowl. (Reserve liquid for other use or discard.)

Spread drained beans out on a paper towel and pat dry, then place in bowl and mash with a spoon or potato masher, leaving them chunky.

Add the rice, cilantro and green onions and mix well.

Add the chili, cumin, and salt and mix well. Taste mixture, and add more salt as needed.

Add 1 of the eggs to the cornstarch mixture and beat well with a fork.

Add cornstarch and egg to the beans and mix well.

Form the mixture into two patties about an inch thick on a small baking sheet or plate. If you’re going to fry them within a half hour, place the patties in the freezer to firm up. If longer, place them in the refrigerator. (They can be made up to a day before and kept, covered, in the fridge.)

 

Heat oven to 350° F. Take patties out of the freezer/fridge, and dust both sides with flour.

Heat a skillet over high heat, add ½ inch of oil and, when shimmering, gently slide the patties into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown (about 3 minutes), then carefully flip and brown other side.

Transfer patties to a baking sheet (the one you used to chill them is fine) and place them in the oven for about 20 minutes to allow them to crisp up further.


Meanwhile, fry the 2 remaining eggs. Serve the patties topped with an egg, and a side of green salad with avocado and tomato, and heated tortillas.

 

 

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The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst learned early, during family dinner conversations, the value of both careful analysis and the arts—ideal ingredients for a mystery story. Putting this early education to good use, she now writes the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari Mysteries, a culinary series set in Santa Cruz, California. 

 

An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

 

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Praise for Leslie's most recent Sally Solari mystery, the Lefty Award-nominated MURDER FROM SCRATCH:

“Karst seasons her writing with an accurate insider’s view of restaurant operation, as well as a tenderness in the way she treats family, death and Sally’s reactions to Evelyn’s blindness.”

Ellery Queen Magazine (featured pick)

All four Sally Solari Mysteries are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.