These black beans are a forever-favourite in our household. They're creamy, rich and full of aromatic flavours. Delicious served up in corn tacos, with cashew cream and spicy vegetables. We normally make a big batch of these beans and store some in the freezer - it's a joy finding them when you're running low on inspiration/ingredients and want to make something quick. We sometimes eat them stuffed inside a roasted sweet potato, or even for breakfast if we feel like something savoury. Like I said, they're a staple recipe for us and we hope you find them just as delicious!
If you haven't discovered black cardamom pods yet, we urge you to go find some! We first smelt them in a little spice shop in Delhi and have been obsessed ever since. They add such an aromatic, smokey flavour and are unlike any other spice we've tried. You can normally find them in asian supermarkets, spice shops or online.
Asafoetida powder is another famous ingredient from India, which has a strong flavour and is similar in properties to garlic. In ayurveda, asafoetida is renowned for aiding digestion and to relieve cramping. It's a common ingredient in bean and lentil dishes in India and it's a must-have in our spice cupboard!
1. Soak the dried beans overnight, then drain and rinse 2/3 times when ready to prepare.
2. Put the drained beans, onion, black cardamon, bay leaves, peppercorns and asafoetida and in a large pan with all of the water.
3. Bring the mixture to the boil and then lower the heat to a simmer, cook for 2-3 hours until the beans are completely soft.
4. When the beans are cooked add the garlic/mustard powder, miso and salt and continue to cook for a final 5-10 minutes. At this point it should be quite thick and creamy, you can help this along by mashing some of the beans with the back of a spoon, or keep cooking slightly longer until it reaches your desired consistency.
What's your favourite way to cook beans?