Virado à Paulista

Virado à Paulista is the emblematic dish of the state of São Paulo — the Paulistano's version of the Brazilian weekday plate. A mound of well-seasoned carioca beans mashed with their broth, fried eggs, torresmo (pork crackling), linguiça sausage, couve (sautéed kale), and farofa all piled onto a single plate: a feast of textures and flavour. Considered by many Paulistas to be the city's soul food.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Beans (Feijão Virado)

• 400g (14 oz) cooked or canned carioca (pinto) beans with their liquid
• 150ml (⅔ cup) bean broth or water
• 1 tbsp (15ml) neutral oil
• ½ white onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt to taste

Accompaniments

• 200g (7 oz) torresmo (pork crackling) or thick-cut bacon, cut into 3cm pieces
• 300g (10 oz) linguiça calabresa sausage, sliced 1cm thick
• 4 eggs
• 200g (7 oz) couve-manteiga (curly kale or collard greens), leaves finely shredded
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp (30ml) neutral oil
• Salt to taste

Farofa

• 150g (5 oz / 1 cup) cassava flour (farinha de mandioca)
• 20g (1½ tbsp) butter
• ½ onion, finely diced
• Salt to taste

To Serve

• 2 cups (400g) cooked white rice

Instructions

1. Make the farofa: melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the onion 5-6 minutes until golden. Add the cassava flour and stir constantly 3-4 minutes until lightly toasted and golden. Season with salt. Set aside.
2. Make the feijão virado: heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Fry onion 5-6 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the beans with their liquid and the extra broth. Simmer 5 minutes, then use a fork or potato masher to partially mash the beans — the result should be a thick, creamy purée with some whole beans remaining. Season with salt and keep warm.
3. Fry the torresmo or bacon in a dry pan over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes until very crispy. Remove and drain. In the same fat, fry the linguiça slices 4-5 minutes per side until browned. Remove.
4. In a separate pan, heat the 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sizzle 30 seconds. Add the shredded kale and toss 2-3 minutes until wilted and bright green. Season with salt.
5. Fry the eggs in butter to your preference — sunny side up is traditional.
6. Assemble each plate with a scoop of rice, a mound of the virado beans, a fried egg, slices of linguiça, torresmo, sautéed kale, and a generous spoonful of farofa.

Cook's Notes: The key to virado is the mashing — fully blended beans lose the comforting chunky texture. If you can find farinha de mandioca grossa (coarse cassava flour), use it for superior farofa crunch.