Baião de dois
Rice and black-eyed beans cooked together with bacon, onion and garlic, with cubes of queijo coalho folded in to soften. From Ceará.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 1 hr
- Rest
- 4 hr
- Total
- 5 hr 15 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Baião de dois is rice and beans cooked in one pot. The beans are feijão-de-corda, the small cowpea of the North-East, sold elsewhere as black-eyed beans. They are boiled until just tender, then their liquid cooks the rice with fried bacon, onion and garlic. At the end, cubes of queijo coalho go in and soften in the steam without melting, along with coriander, spring onion and a spoon of manteiga de garrafa, the clarified butter of the sertão. Ghee is the nearest thing. The rice should be moist and loose, not soupy and not dry.
What you'll need
12 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Black-eyed beans, dried, soaked for 4 hours250 g
- Rice, long-grain, rinsed300 g
- Bacon, smoked, diced150 g
- Chorizo, or linguiça calabresa, sliced (optional)100 g
- Onion, chopped1 medium
- Garlic, crushed4 clove
- Salt9.9 ml
- Queijo coalho, cut into 1.5 cm cubes250 g
- Coriander, fresh leaves, chopped1 bunch
- Spring onion, sliced3
- Ghee, or manteiga de garrafa30 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Drain the soaked beans, cover with 1.5 litres of fresh water, add the bay leaves and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until tender but still whole. Drain, keeping the cooking liquid.
30 min
Tip: Cowpeas cook fast. Check from 15 minutes; mushy beans spoil the texture.
Step 2
In a heavy pot, fry the bacon, and the sausage if using, over medium heat until the fat runs and it starts to crisp. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, then the garlic for a minute.
10 min
Step 3
Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes to coat it in the fat. Add the beans, 650 ml of their cooking liquid, topped up with water if needed, and the salt. Bring to the boil, cover and cook on low for 15 to 18 minutes until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
20 min
Step 4
Fold in the cheese, coriander, spring onion and ghee. Cover again and leave off the heat for 5 minutes so the cheese softens.
5 min
Tip: For more colour, brown the cheese cubes in a dry frying pan first.
Step 5
Stir gently, taste for salt and serve hot, on its own or with grilled meat.
1 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 466 kcal
- Protein
- 28.8 g
- Carbs
- 45.5 g
- Fat
- 19.1 g
- Saturated fat
- 10.5 g
- Fibre
- 5.8 g
- Sugar
- 4.8 g
- Sodium
- 972 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Milk
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Queijo coalho → Halloumi
The same squeak and the same refusal to melt. It is saltier, so halve the salt.
Tips
- It should be creamy and loose. If it looks dry before the rice is done, add a splash of hot bean liquid.
- Carne de sol or leftover roast beef, cubed and fried with the bacon, makes it a full meal.
History & culture
It is the everyday plate of Ceará and the sertão, and a point of pride in Fortaleza restaurants, where it comes with carne de sol, fried manioc and paçoca. In São Paulo and Rio it is the dish North-Eastern migrants brought with them. Luiz Gonzaga, who made baião music famous across Brazil, recorded a song with the dish's name.
Cowpeas came to Brazil from West Africa through the Atlantic slave trade and did well in the dry North-East. Rice has been grown in Brazil since colonial times. The story goes that the dish was born in years of drought, when cooks stretched what they had by cooking both in one pot. Queijo coalho, made on the cattle ranches, completed it.
Traditional — In Ceará the beans are often fresh green feijão-verde rather than dried, and the fat is manteiga de garrafa. Dried black-eyed beans and ghee are the practical choices outside Brazil.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Baião de dois take?
5 hr 15 min all in — 15 min prep, 1 hr cook, 4 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Nut-free.
7 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Dutch oven, Chef's knife.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Queijo coalho → Halloumi. The same squeak and the same refusal to melt. It is saltier, so halve the salt.
Any tips from this recipe?
It should be creamy and loose. If it looks dry before the rice is done, add a splash of hot bean liquid. Carne de sol or leftover roast beef, cubed and fried with the bacon, makes it a full meal.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Carne de sol or leftover roast beef, cubed and fried with the bacon, makes it a full meal.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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