You've Got To Be Kidding Beans
Submitted by justin's angel
Red beans tossed in a bold balsamic-prune dressing with fenugreek, coriander, and chili-garlic paste. A chilled bean salad bursting with sweet, tangy, spicy layers.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
4 hrsThis is not your average bean salad. Not even close.
Red beans get simmered until just tender, then tossed in a dressing that’ll make you do a double take: balsamic-simmered prunes, tamarind concentrate, chili-garlic paste, ground fenugreek, and cracked coriander seeds.
Sweet, sour, spicy, and earthy all at once.
The name says it all. You’ll look at the ingredient list and think there’s no way this works, but after a couple hours chilling in the fridge, those flavors meld into something genuinely addictive.
Finish with fresh cilantro and sliced red onion for crunch and color.
Pro Tips
- Don’t overcook the beans; they should be tender but hold their shape since mushy beans turn this into a dip, not a salad
- Simmer the prunes gently in the balsamic, as hard boiling will make the vinegar harsh and bitter
- Grind whole fenugreek in a clean coffee grinder for the freshest, most aromatic flavor
- The full 2-hour chill is essential for the dressing to penetrate the beans and let the flavors come together
Ingredients
Directions
Combine onion, celery, carrots, and beans in a soup pot.
Add enough water to cover beans by 3 inches.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until beans are tender but not mushy, approximately 55 minutes.
If using a pressure cooker and non-soaked beans, bring beans and 4 cups of water to high pressure for 1 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
Open, drain beans. Return beans to pressure cooker, add onions, celery, carrot, and 4 cups fressh water.
Bring to high pressure for 15 minutes.
Turn off heat, bring pot to sink and run under cold water to reduce pressure.
Open and check beans to see if they are fully cooked.
If not, simmer uncovered until done.
Drain beans and remove onion, celery, and carrot.
Meanwhile, combine prunes and balsamic vinegar in nonreactive pan and simmer for 15 minutes (don’t boil hard).
Remove prunes and chop finely.
Add prunes back to vinegar. Add tamarind concentrate and chili-garlic paste to prune-vinegar mixture.
If working from whole fenugreek, grind in coffee grinder to powder.
Lightly grind coriander seeds.
Add both to vinegar mixture.
Mix well.
Combine beans and vinegar mixture.
Chill for 2 hours. When ready to serve, mix in ¼ cup cilantro and top with sliced red onion.
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