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Peruvian

Tacu Tacu (Peruvian Rice and Bean Patties)

Crisp Peruvian rice and bean patties served with a bright onion-lime salsa criolla.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 6 September 2026Updated

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Tacu Tacu (Peruvian Rice and Bean Patties)

45 mintotal

Prep 20 min · Cook 25 min

Serves
2
Difficulty
Medium
Spice
Mild
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Half an hour with cooked rice and beans on hand. Both are best a day old and cold from the fridge — that is what lets the patties hold together.

Method

  1. Mix the thinly sliced onion with lemon juice, coriander leaves, 0.25 tsp salt, and a pinch of ground black pepper. Set aside as salsa criolla.

  2. Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in a pan. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft.

  3. Add garlic and ají amarillo paste and cook for 1 minute.

    1 min

  4. Add the cooked black beans and mash about half of them in the pan.

  5. Add the cooked rice, remaining salt, and ground black pepper. Mix until the rice and beans bind together.

  6. Shape into two thick oval patties.

  7. Heat the remaining neutral oil and pan-sear the patties for 4–5 minutes per side until crisp and browned.

    4–5 min

  8. Serve hot with the salsa criolla on top or on the side.

How to tell it's done

The patties should be crisp outside, soft inside, and held together by the mashed beans.

Getting it right

Tip

Use cooled rice; freshly cooked hot rice can make the patties sticky instead of crisp.

What to serve it with

Serve as a budget-friendly lunch with salad or as a side with other Peruvian dishes.

Common mistakes

The patty falls apart in the pan.
Mash enough of the beans to make a paste and use rice that is cold, not freshly cooked. Warm rice slides; the starch in cold rice is what binds tacu tacu, so there is no need for egg or flour.
There is no crust.
Hot pan, enough oil, and leave it alone for the full four minutes a side. The crisp shell against the soft inside is the whole dish, and moving it early gives you a stirred pan of rice and beans instead.

Substitutions

  • Black Beans — Use cooked red kidney beans if black beans are unavailable, though the flavor will be slightly different.

Storing and reheating

Eat hot. Cooked rice and beans keep four days in the fridge and are the part to prepare ahead. Shaped patties keep a day raw; fried ones lose the crust and are not worth reheating.