Peruvian rice and bean cake with fried egg (Tacu tacu)

1. Cook the rice in the salted water and let it cool – tacu tacu was originally made from the previous day's leftover rice and beans.

2. Roughly mash half the cooked white beans with a fork and leave the other half whole.

3. Soften the finely chopped onion in 2 tbsp oil for 6-8 minutes, add the crushed garlic and ají amarillo paste and fry for 2 minutes; stir in the beans and rice, season with salt and pepper and stir until you get a firm, mouldable mixture.

4. Heat the remaining oil in a smaller pan, add a quarter of the mixture and, shaking the pan and shaping with a spatula, fry into a flat oval cake until a crisp crust forms underneath; turn and fry the other side. Make all four portions this way.

5. Meanwhile, peel the plantains, slice them diagonally and fry both sides until golden in the oil; fry the eggs in the same pan.

6. Top each cake with a fried egg, add fried plantain alongside and serve with salsa criolla.

Tip: Tacu tacu also pairs well with steak – in Lima it's often served topped with a slice of grilled meat or seafood.