Curried Sugar Beans

Ingredients

• 1.4 onions, for sauce; browned
• 2.4 garlic cloves, for sauce
• 3.15 millilitre garlic and ginger paste, 3 teaspoons; for sauce
• 4.10 millilitre ground coriander, freshly ground; for sauce
• 5.10 millilitre ground cumin, freshly ground; for sauce
• 6.curry paste, 3–4 teaspoons; or reduce by half and use curry powder (handwritten annotation)
• 7.4 bay leaves, for sauce
• 8.5 millilitre turmeric, for sauce
• 9.4 tomatoes, skinned; seasoned with ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and black pepper; for sauce
• 10.125 millilitre tomato purée, ½ cup; if required to enrich sauce
• 11.500 gram sugar beans, picked over; soaked overnight (or quick-soaked); cooked until tender
• 12.10 millilitre chicken stock powder, 2 teaspoons; for cooking beans
• 13.water, to cover beans during cooking
• 14.Lawry's seasoned salt, to season beans after draining

Method

1. 1.Prepare the beans: pick over and soak overnight. Simmer gently with water to cover and chicken stock until tender, about 1½ hours. Drain in cold water. Season whilst still warm.
2. 2.Quick soak method: boil beans for 5 minutes, leave for 1 hour to stand in hot water, then cook as usual.
3. 3.Make the sauce: brown onions and garlic. Add garlic and ginger paste, coriander, cumin, curry paste, bay leaves and turmeric. Stir-fry approximately 3 minutes to release flavours.
4. 4.Add tomatoes and soften.
5. 5.Combine sauce with cooked beans. Let stand, preferably overnight.

Notes

• Advised by Khazana Spices.
• Handwritten annotation: curry paste can be reduced by half if using a strong variety, or substitute curry powder (2 tsp).
• Sugar beans = South African variety similar to kidney/pinto beans (speckled brown/white).
• Better the next day — allow to stand overnight as noted.
• Lawry's Seasoned Salt = South African/American seasoning brand.