Author Notes
I've been creating a lot of dried bean recipes since joining an heirloom bean CSA in my community. I made this recipe for calypso beans (which are pictured in the photo), but this recipe would also work well with anasazi beans which have a similar flavor and beautifully variegated pattern. The beans stew in coconut milk (I like cooking them in a slow cooker, which allows them to plump up gradually without any presoaking), and then are finished off with a tarka of ginger and black mustard seeds. These beans are delicious with roasted cauliflower and fresh naan. —Fairmount_market
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Ingredients
- For the beans
-
2 cups
dried calypso or anasazi beans, rinsed
-
1
onion
-
1
inch ginger
-
5
cloves garlic
-
2 teaspoons
ground cumin
-
1 teaspoon
ground coriander
-
1 teaspoon
ground ginger
-
1 teaspoon
mustard powder
-
1 tablespoon
neutral oil such as grape seed
-
15 ounces
coconut milk (1 can)
-
2.5 cups
water, or more as needed
-
plenty of salt
- For the tarka
-
2 tablespoons
ghee or butter
-
1
inch ginger
-
1 teaspoon
black mustard seeds
Directions
-
To prepare the beans, peel and finely mince the ginger and garlic cloves (this can be done in a mini food processor). Heat the oil and saute the onion until glassy. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the spices and cook another minute, until fragrant. Add the coconut milk, water and dried beans. Cook at a low simmer on the stove top or on low in a slow cooker. Make sure that the beans stay submerged in liquid, which may require adding additional water on the stove top, and stir occasionally (or swirl in the slow cooker, to avoid opening frequently). Cook until the beans are soft to the bite, which will happen when their colors mellow, with the brown lightening and the white turning more beige. The cooking time will depend on the dryness of the beans. In my slow cooker, my beans were tender after 4 hours. When they are soft, salt them generously.
-
When you are just about ready to serve the beans, prepare the tarka. Peel and mice the ginger. In a small skillet, heat the ghee or butter until bubbling, and then add the ginger. Let it cook for a few minutes until glassy, then add the mustard seeds. When the seeds start to pop and sizzle, stir the mixture into the beans. Enjoy.
I'm a biology professor and mother of two, and in my (limited) free time I love to cook, which is much more forgiving than laboratory science. Last year I helped start a farmers market in my neighborhood, and to promote it, I created a food blog: fairmountmarket.blogspot.com. I enjoy the challenge of coming up with recipes for local, seasonal ingredients and finding fun ways to cook with my children.
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