Ecuadorian · serves 4 · about 45 minutes
Ecuador's coastal trinity in full: white rice, thick lentil menestra, and beef hot off the grill — patacones on the side if you know what's good. The plate every Guayaquil grill house is built on.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Iberia Parboiled Rice 5 lbs
- 4 cups prepared lentil menestra (see Menestra de Lentejas)
- 1.5 lbs skirt or flank steak
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp Iberia Adobo Without Pepper 16 oz
- 1 lime
- 2 tbsp Iberia Extra Virgin Olive Oil Blend 51 oz
- 2 green plantains, for patacones (optional)
Method
- Cook the rice — rinsed, 1:1.5 with water, covered low heat 18 minutes.
- Rub the steak with crushed garlic, Adobo, lime juice, and olive oil. Rest it 20 minutes.
- Sear over high heat 3-4 minutes per side for medium — let it rest 5 before slicing against the grain.
- Warm the menestra; fry patacones if you're doing the full plate.
- Build it: rice, menestra ladled generously beside, steak sliced over the top. A wedge of lime, no apologies.