Baião de Dois (Rice & Beans with Cheese & Meat)

Brazil • Regional Dish • Main Course

Baião de Dois (Rice & Black-eyed Peas)

Baião de Dois is smoky, hearty, and deeply comforting, with rice, black-eyed peas, and soft cheese doing very good work together.

Servings6
Prep Time15 min
Cook Time45 min
DifficultyEasy
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Instructions

  1. Rinse the black-eyed peas. Add them to a saucepan with 1.2 liters of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the peas are just tender but not falling apart. Drain, reserving 250 ml of the cooking liquid.
  2. While the peas cook, fry the bacon in a large deep frying pan or heavy pot over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until it starts to crisp and render its fat.
  3. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
  4. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 minute, coating it well in the bacon fat.
  5. Add the cooked black-eyed peas, reserved cooking liquid, hot stock, bay leaf, black pepper, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil.
  6. Cover, lower the heat, and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed. Check once or twice near the end and add a splash more hot water if it looks too dry.
  7. Turn off the heat. Remove the bay leaf. Fold in the chopped coriander and the cheese cubes. Cover for 2 minutes so the cheese softens slightly without fully disappearing into the rice.
  8. Serve hot.

Cultural Context

Baião de Dois is a traditional dish from northeastern Brazil made with rice and black-eyed peas. Versions vary, but bacon or dried meat and cheese are common additions, and the dish is widely considered comfort food with a strong regional identity.

Fun Fact

The name Baião de Dois is tied to baião, a musical style and dance from northeastern Brazil. So yes, this dish is essentially named for its more rhythmic quality than most weeknight dinners ever manage.

Cook’s Tip

Baião de Dois is strongly associated with northeastern Brazil and is traditionally built around rice and black-eyed peas cooked together. Many versions include bacon or dried meat, and cheese is common as well.

If you cannot find queijo coalho, use a mild, firm cheese that softens without vanishing too quickly. Mozzarella is the easiest home-cook option. Fresh or frozen black-eyed peas are sometimes used, but dried ones are more practical in many kitchens and still yield very good results.

Trivia

Some Baião de Dois use fresh or frozen black-eyed peas, but many home cooks use dried peas instead, which makes the dish easier to pull off without hunting through specialty markets like a culinary detective.

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