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A tacu tacu on a brown plate with two plantains, onion salad, and a lime.
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Peruvian Tacu Tacu

Peruvian Tacu Tacu is a great way to use up leftover canary beans and rice. Mashed beans and rice flavored with some onion, garlic, oregano and aji amarillo, and then lightly fried to crisp up the outside, turns leftovers into a dish with loads of freshly cooked flavor!  
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 3 - 4 servings
Calories 566kcal

Ingredients

Tacu Tacu

  • 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil separated
  • 1 medium red onion, finely diced about 1 cup
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ¼ cup aji Amarillo paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 ½ cups canary beans, cooked and well-drained
  • 1 ½ cups white rice cooked ideally the night before
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

Salsa Criolla

  • 1 red onion
  • 1 aji amarillo, deseeded
  • 1 handful cilantro chopped
  • 1-2 limes juiced
  • ½ teaspoon salt plus a bit more for soaking

Instructions

Salsa criolla

  • Cut ends of onion and remove outside paper layer. Cut onion in half and remove the smaller compact pieces in the center. Then slice the outer layers of onion into thin strips, lengthwise.
    1 red onion
  • Sprinkle sliced onion with salt, cover with cold water and soak for five minutes. Then drain well and rinse.
  • Add lime juice, ½ teaspoon salt. aji amarillo, and cilantro. Mix well and set aside to allow flavors time to meld.
    1 aji amarillo, deseeded, 1 handful cilantro, 1-2 limes juiced, ½ teaspoon salt

Prepare bean and rice mixture

  • Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic to oil. Cook onions until soft, about 7-9 minutes. Add the aji amarillo paste and oregano. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
    2-3 tablespoons coconut oil, 1 medium red onion, finely diced, 3 cloves garlic, finely minced, ¼ cup aji Amarillo paste, 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Place half the beans in a food processor and pulse a few times. You can also mash them by hand with a fork if you prefer. Add all the beans and rice to the onion mixture. Stir until the mixture comes together. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
    1 ½ cups canary beans, cooked and well-drained, 1 ½ cups white rice, Salt and Pepper, to taste

Shape and cook tacu tacu

  • Scoop out about a third or fourth of the mixture and shape by hand into an oval that’s more narrow at the ends similar to a small football.
  • Heat 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil to cover the bottom of a in a non-stick frying pan or skillet over medium heat until oil is hot. Add tacu tacu to skillet and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes without moving until you’re ready to flip. Serve up the tacu tacu with the salsa criolla and your favorite side dishes.

Bake Option

  • Place shaped tacu tacu onto a lightly oiled or sprayed baking sheet with some space in between so you can easily turn them over later. Cook in a 400 degree F oven and cook for thirty minutes. Flip them over halfway through the cooking time.

Notes

Use leftover or precooked beans and rice. I find the texture is a bit better and helps the tacu tacu hold their shape a bit more easily.
Be sure to cook the beans enough so they will easily mash and work as a glue to hold the mixture together.
This dish tastes best when hot and fresh. You can save leftovers but note that it may not hold its shape when reheated.
Soak your onions to remove the strong flavor of red onions and makes the salad much better.
I suggest cooking no more than 2 at a time to make it easier to flip.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 566kcal | Carbohydrates: 113g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 403mg | Potassium: 752mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 294IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 3mg