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La Bandera Dominican Recipe: La Bandera means “the Dominican Flag”

This La Bandera Dominican recipe is the most popular national dish of the Dominican Republic and you will find it at every resort in Punta Cana.

This staple dish consists of a stewed meat (usually goat) served with rice, red beans, fried plantains and salad.

The plantains for la Bandera Dominican Recipe

Pan-fry in hot oil, lightly salt them and allow to dry on paper towel. You can treat fried plantains much the same way that you would french fries in a North American kitchen.

Red beans

  • 2-3 cups of red kidney beans
  • 1 red onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • half tspn. of coriander
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 2 cups of chicken stock
  • salt & pepper to taste

Start by caramelizing the onions over medium heat in a little oil. Add garlic and coriander and saute for a couple minutes before adding other ingredients. I like to stew my beans for 20-25 minutes; use a potato masher to turn parts of them into a paste while they're simmering. Keep them simmering until they reach a nice creamy consistency. I also tend to serve them mixed with the criolla (rice), the Dominican term for rice & beans is “moro”. However, in la bandera the items are usually separated into quarters on the plate – symbolizing the Dominican flag.

The rice for La Bandera Dominican Recipe

Whenever rice is cooked well there is a layer that sticks to the pot. In North American kitchens we tend to hide this part of the cooking process and throw it out. Not in the Dominican, this crispy layer of cooked rice is called “concon” and is a delicacy, served separately from the rice. A good Dominican cook can make a great tender rice and wonderful crispy concon.

"Guisade": the stewed meat

Usually goat is used for this recipe, but you can substitute with stewing beef.

  • 3 pounds of goat, cut into cubes
  • 3 roughly chopped onions
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 4 tomatoes roughly chopped
  • 2 sweet peppers julienned
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • Coriander, salt & pepper to taste

Marinade:

  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • Finely chopped onion
  • 3 teaspoons oregano
  • Salt & pepper

Dominican goats graze on wild oregano, giving their meat a wonderful pre-marinated flavor, something that is always lacking when their dishes are recreated elsewhere. To get around this, I usually marinate the stewing meat overnight in the refrigerator. Rub the meat with the marinade, place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight.

Saute meat in hot oil until seared on all sides. Add onions, garlic, tomatoes and peppers and saute for five minutes. Add beef stock and allow to simmer for a couple hours. Season and adjust liquid as needed.


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