Baião de dois is a dish from the Brazilian state of Ceará, typical of the northeastern region and parts of the northern region, such as Rondônia, Acre, Amazonas, and Pará.
It consists of a preparation based on rice and beans, preferably feijao verde or feijao novo or fradinho. It is common to also add queijo coalho.
Dried meat is not added in the state of Ceará, but in other northeastern states, it is.
The origin of the name is linked to baião, a style of music and dance typical of the northeast region, with the number 2 (dois) referring to the combination that forms the base of the dish: rice and beans.
Being a mixture of two typical elements of Brazilian cuisine and easily accessible, namely rice and beans, it is very common in rural areas and Brazilian recipes, such as:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Steam
- Cuisine: Brazilian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 500 g green beans or novo or fradinho
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tomato
- 300 g rice (basmati type)
- 1.7 cups vegetable broth
- 200 g queijo coalho (or Emmental)
- to taste vegetable oil
- to taste salt
Steps
After leaving the beans in water for at least 1 hour, cook them in 3 liters of water for 40 minutes.
In a large pot, add the oil, then the onion, garlic, chopped tomato, and fresh coriander. Finally, add the beans.
After a few minutes, add the rice and broth. Adjust the salt.
Cook for 15 minutes, covered.
Add the cubed cheese and serve.
FAQ
Are there other similar dishes?
In Paraíba and Pernambuco, also in Brazil, there is a variant called rubacão, a very popular dish in the Sertão, a single dish where the recipe includes feijao fradinho or verde or macassar, red rice, queijo coalho and queijo manteiga, cream, and dried meat or carne do sol, as well as other variants like bacon and calabresa.
In the Dominican Republic, there is a similar dish called moro, also prepared by cooking rice and beans together.
Other Latin American countries have similar rice dishes cooked with beans, such as Moros y Cristianos in Cuba and arroz con gandules in Puerto Rico.What beans are most suitable?
Feijao verde or feijao novo or fradinho.
When did this dish become known?
The dish gained popularity with the song Baião de Dois, a collaboration between the composer from Ceará, Humberto Teixeira, with the “Rei do Baião”, from Pernambuco, Luiz Gonzaga, in the mid-20th century.
What cheese can replace queijo coalho?
With a hard cheese like emmentaler or edam.
