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1
Place a large heavy pan or skillet over high heat and add the oil. When the oil shimmers, add the finely chopped onion and sweet pepper. Sauté, stirring, until the onion is softened and translucent at its edges.
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2
Add the cooked beans to the pan and stir to combine with the softened vegetables. Pour in the bean cooking liquid. Stir over high heat until the liquid begins to reduce and the beans are well heated through — the pan will smell savoury and the liquid will darken the mixture visibly.
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3
Add the cold day-old rice. Break up any clumps immediately and fold the rice into the bean mixture with a wide spatula, working from the bottom of the pan. This step is where the dish lives or dies: the heat must remain high throughout so the rice dries and separates rather than steaming into a mass. Continue folding and pressing for 3–4 minutes. The finished mixture should show individual rice grains clearly visible — speckled black and white — with no wet pooling in the pan.
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4
For the Costa Rican version, add the Lizano sauce and stir through completely. Taste: the sauce should register as a distinct sweet-sour note behind the savoury bean base. Adjust the quantity of Lizano to preference.
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5
Remove from heat and fold in the chopped cilantro or culantro. The herb should wilt just enough to release its fragrance without cooking out entirely — the nose will confirm when it is present but not dominant.