Dashboard › Browse Recipes › Arroz Tapado (Covered Rice with Beef)
Arroz Tapado (Covered Rice with Beef)
A classic Peruvian home-cooking staple: seasoned ground beef filling with ají panca, garlic, tomato paste, onion, hard-boiled egg, olives, and raisins, sandwiched between two layers of white rice. Served with fried plantain and a runny fried egg.
Ingredients
Accompaniments
- 1 piece Sweet plantain (sliced, fried)
- 2 piece Eggs for frying (fried with runny yolk)
Filling
- 400 g Rump beef (cuadril), finely diced (seasoned with salt and cumin)
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced (minced)
- 2 tsp Ají panca paste
- 1.5 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 piece White onion, finely diced (brunoise)
- 120 ml Dark beef stock
- 40 g Raisins, hydrated (soaked in hot water) optional
- 8 piece Black olives (roughly chopped) optional
- 2 piece Hard-boiled eggs (chopped)
Rice
- 400 g Cooked white rice (freshly cooked)
Steps
-
1Season diced beef with salt and cumin. Sear in hot pan untouched for 12-15 minutes until deeply browned (Maillard reaction).Tip: Avoid stirring early — the meat will steam instead of sear.~15 min
-
2Add minced garlic, stir 1 minute. Add ají panca paste, cook 2-3 minutes until toasted. Add tomato paste, stir 1 minute.Tip: Traditional Peruvian sofrito: garlic and ají panca first, then onion.~5 min
-
3Add diced onion — its moisture deglazes the browned bits. Cook 4-5 minutes. Add bay leaves, oregano, beef stock. Season with black pepper.Tip: The deglazing step is critical — those browned bits are concentrated flavor.~8 min
-
4Fold in hydrated raisins, chopped olives, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and fresh cilantro. Remove bay leaves.~3 min
-
5Deep-fry sliced sweet plantain until golden. Fry eggs American-style (cold pan start) for runny yolk.Tip: Cold pan start avoids rubbery edges on the fried egg.~8 min
-
6Assemble: pack rice into bowl, add filling, top with more rice. Invert onto plate. Serve with fried plantain and fried egg.Tip: The inversion reveals the classic domed 'tapado' presentation.~3 min
Nutrition (per serving)
720
Calories
38g
Protein
72g
Carbs
28g
Fat
4g
Fiber
Cultural Context
Arroz tapado ('covered rice') is a quintessential Peruvian criollo dish eaten weekly in most homes. Its filling is the same base used in sopa criolla, pastel de choclo, empanadas, and papas rellenas. The traditional sofrito starts with garlic and ají panca before onion.