Try this Smoky Peruvian Beans recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- for the beans:
- ​​1 ​large ​onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves (crushed salted and chopped)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
- ​10 or so baby carrots thin sliced (or any carrots you have on hand)
- ​1 sweet bell pepper diced (i used red)
- 4 cups cooked peruvian beans​ (from 1 rounded cup dry)
- 2 cups veg stock​ (or stock of choice)​
- 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce chopped (seeds and all!) + 3 tsp reserved adobo sauce​
- 1 tbsp honey (or sweetener of choice)
- for the tapioca (or cornstarch) slurry:
- dissolve 1 round tbsp tapioca (or cornstarch) into
- for garnish:
- fresh cilantro sliced avocado, dollop plain yogurt, lime wedges, as desired. serve accompanied by salad of choice or, as pictured here, brown basmati.
- Carbohydrate 3.10361160143887 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.278039374951205 g
- Fiber 0.844656227371609 g
- Protein 0.725252499551499 g
- Saturated Fat 0.031009999989618 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (56g)
- Sodium 198.060835896215 mg
- Sugar 2.25895537406726 g
- Trans Fat 0.0658561874851538 g
- Calories 16 calories
Step-by-step
- Prepare your dry Peruvian beans by soaking them overnight (simply cover in a pot with cool water) and drain/rinse in the morning. Pre-soaking can help ease digestive distress in those susceptible.
- Transfer the drained beans to a cooking pot on stove and cover with generous amount of water - bring the beans to a boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer for the duration (you may need to add water as the beans cook). Allow beans to simmer until desired texture is achieved (I like them tender but still slightly firm) about 45 mins - 1 hour. Rinse cooked beans and set aside.
- In a large skillet set over low-medium heat, sauté onion/garlic for about 4 minutes - add carrots, bell pepper and continue to sauté for another minute or two.
- Sprinkle mixture with paprika and cumin and mix in chopped chipotle peppers.
- Add veg stock, water, tomato paste, reserved adobo sauce, vinegar and honey. Stirring to combine. Finally, add cooked Peruvian beans stirring gently to integrate.
- Simmer ingredients for about 10-15 mins to reduce liquid base (stirring occasionally).
- To the remaining base (there should still be a generous amount after reduction), add the tapioca (or cornstarch) slurry and simmer for another 3 minutes just long enough to allow sauce to thicken slightly. The way I do it is to move some of the beans aside with a spoon and then add the slurry directly into the exposed liquid stirring/whisking vigorously before the final simmer.
Should you double the chipotle chiles when doubling the entire batch for a larger gathering, or does the capsaicin scale linearly? Scaling up aromatics and liquids is rarely a strict multiplier, and dried beans absorb cooking water at varying rates depending on their age and moisture content. When multiplying a recipe that relies heavily on a reduced vegetable stock and tomato paste base, taste the mixture halfway through the simmer before adding any extra heat sources. Adjusting quantities requires careful attention to surface area in your skillet, since crowding the pan prevents onions and carrots from sweating properly within the standard four-minute window.
Peruvian beans possess a naturally creamy interior texture that contrasts sharply with thin, watery broths if the reduction phase is rushed. Allowing the vegetable stock, red wine vinegar, and honey to simmer for ten to fifteen minutes concentrates the tomato paste and softens the bell peppers without turning them to mush. Whisking the tapioca or cornstarch slurry directly into an exposed pocket of liquid prevents unsightly lumps from forming around the legumes. Tapioca starch provides a glossy sheen that holds up well during subsequent reheating, whereas cornstarch creates a slightly more matte finish.
Overcooking the beans during the initial boil remains the single fastest way to ruin the final dish, turning intact legumes into a starchy paste before they ever hit the skillet. Maintain a gentle simmer for forty-five to sixty minutes rather than a violent rolling boil, which strips the delicate skins from the beans and clouds the cooking water. Crushing the garlic with salt before chopping helps break down cell walls to release pungent organosulfur compounds, though adding it too early in a dry pan will burn the minced pieces instantly. Keep the heat at low-medium during the initial sauté to protect the delicate sugars in the baby carrots.
Leftovers stored in an airtight glass container remain viable for up to four days in the refrigerator, often improving in depth as the smoked paprika and cumin thoroughly permeate the starch. Reheat portions gently over medium-low heat with a splash of water to reconstitute the sauce, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching at the base of the pot. Freezing works well if you omit the slurry entirely, as starches tend to break down and separate upon thawing.
