Ten Bean Red Curry

Background

What to do with a new ten bean mix from Waitrose?  I must admit, the colours of the beans are actually what attracted me to the packet and the thought of doing so kind of Italian bean stew or a bean loaf was my first instinct.

But I had just found a second hand book in a charity shop and had read the article of Madhur Jaffrey's new series in Guardian, and decided by the time I had gotten home that evening that that I would "make a curry".

I love vegetable currys, I "like" meat ones, but I love the flavours of vegetable currys as these (to my taste) tend to be more complex.    This bean curry is an amalgamation of a vegetable curry I was quite addicted to in my past and a butter bean korma that I used to make with onions, mint and yogurt.

For the vegetable curry, just leave out the beans, sieved tomatoes and mint and halve the amount of ginger.  I would double the amount of fresh tomato and probably add a couple of handfuls of spinach towards the end.

Currys for me are a layering process.  First the spice mix or paste, then the onion base (if separate) and then the meat and vegetables.  I get in the "zone" when making highly spiced dishes (be it Asian or north African) as I want the foundation of the spices and herbs used to be just right.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I enjoyed making (and eating) it.

Ten Bean Red Curry

 

Ten Beans

 

250 grams of mixed dried beans (Black eyed beans, black turtle beans, butter beans, haricot beans, lima beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, rose cocoa beans, alubia beans and mung beans) - soaked overnight with two changes of cold water.  Then in fresh cold water, brought to the boil for 15-20 minutes with a whole medium onion and then allowed to simmer until tender.  Drain, remove the onion and set aside.

 

Spice paste

• 2 teaspoons Coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons Cumin seeds
• 1 level teaspoon salt
• 1 or two dried chillies
• 2 sticks (approximately 4 cm long and 1.5 cm thick/round each) ginger - grated
• 3 large cloves of grated garlic
• 1 table spoon of melted butter or gee

In a frying pan, dry roast the coriander,, cumin and dried chilies until the coriander and cumin seeds start to change colour.  Take off the heat and in a pestle and mortar (or in a spice grinder) crush and reduce to a rough powder with the help of the salt.   Then add the ginger and garlic and fat and combine for a thick paste.

The curry

• Spice paste
• 20 mls of corn oil
• 1 large onion - roughly chopped
• 100 mls of water
• 2 large red peppers/paprika - roughly chopped
• 2 large ripe tomatoes - cored and roughly chopped
• 150 mls of sieved tomatoes (or plain passata)
• 250 grams of roughly chopped aubergines
• 20 grams of chopped mint

In a deep pan, warm through the spice paste and oil and add the onions on a low to medium heat until softened.  Add a third of the water and reduce until it has the consistency of a "sauce", add a further third of the water and repeat the process a further time using all the water.

Add the peppers/paprika and coat with the spiced sauce and then add the tomatoes.  Turn the heat to low and cover for ten to fifteen minutes, checking and stirring every few minutes.  Add the sieved tomatoes and aubergines, stir thoroughly and cover.   Allow to heat through for a further ten to fifteen minutes and add half of the chopped mint and the cooked beans.  Stir thoroughly and cover and cook for a further ten to fifteen minutes and then add the remaining mint.  Stir in and turn off heat and remain covered.   Allow to stand before reheating to serve (on a low to medium heat) for a minimum of an hour to allow the favours to fully mature through dish.