Cuban Black Beans
This dish has a smoky savory flavor with a kick of heat. For the health conscious people out there this dish is a must have as they are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and super low in calories. A healthy tasty easy to make dish, what more can one ask for. so let's get right into it.
- 1 cup Black beans
- 1.5 cups Chopped white onions
- 1 tablespoon Chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1/2-1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup Finely chopped spring onion
- 1/4 cup Deseeded and finely chopped jalapeno pepper
- 1/4 cup Finely chopped cilantro
- 1-2 cup Fresh chicken stock
Wash and soak 1 cup of dried black beans overnight.
Drain, add 1 cup of drinking water or ½ of fresh chicken stock mixed with ½ cup of water. Season with ½ tsp salt and cook until the beans are soft.
Heat a heavy bottom pan, add 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil, saute onions until it is light brown. Add garlic and sauté for a few min. Then add cumin and smoked paprika.
Add cooked beans with any remaining water. Add more chicken stock and simmer on low flame so that the beans absorb the flavors of spices and chicken stock.
Mash half of the beans to give it a creamy consistency. Check for balance of flavors and add salt accordingly.
Finally add jalapeno, spring onion and cilantro. Rest for a few min and serve warm.
Cooking black beans- I like to use a pressure cooker to cook beans. Pressure cook on high flame until the first whistle, lower the flame and cook for 10 more min. Open once the steam is out. Cooking in a mixture of stock and water adds more flavour to beans.
Single pot version- Saute garlic and onion in the pressure cooker. Add spices and soaked beans. Add 1 cup water or a mix of stock and water, season with salt and pressure cook as mentioned above. Open, add stock, simmer, mash lightly and add the rest of the ingredients.
Substitution- Jalapeno peppers can be avoided for less heat. Or it can be replaced with ½ tsp of smoked paprika.
Refrigerator friendly- Cuban black beans can be easily refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. Add little chicken stock or water while reheating on low flame for a creamy consistency. And in case the dish is not being served the day it’s made, avoid garnishing and add cilantro and spring onions while reheating.
Garlic- I like to use fresh Indian garlic in all my recipes for its flavor.