White beans recipe: How to cook fried beans

Photo of White beans recipe: How to cook fried beans

If I am to list some best sources of protein, I think I will first include beans as they are no meat protein, beans indeed are very high in protein aside animal proteins, you can easily mix beans with other vegetables, or complex carbohydrates to eat as one of the ways of eating clean and healthy combination.

There are various good sources of protein and beans are among them, beans are nutritious and best foods we need for constants supply of protein and energy. Other sources of protein include meat, lentils, poultry, eggs, milk, runner peas, nuts, seeds and sea foods. Beans are really healthy foods that contain fibre, iron, potassium and folate. Beans can be prepared in many ways such as porridge beans, fried beans, beans soup and beans cake (moi-moi). It is very simple to prepare beans and different vegetables can be added to cook beans, such vegetables include carrots, green beans, peas, tomatoes, parsley, celery, bell peppers, oregano, thyme, basil, spring onions and kale can be added to cook bean soup or beans porridge just the same ways you would have added these to cook jollof rice and vegetable rice. Also, instead of having to soak your dried beans before cooking them, you can decide to use canned beans for this recipe.

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Other Beans soup or bean porridge recipes include:

The last recipe of beans can be enjoyed with fried plantain chipsyam chipspotato chips and also with custard or pap meal.

Pressure cooker can be used to cook beans faster however; crockpot or slow cooker can also be used to cook beans in a simple way without having to use a gas or stove top. Cooking beans faster involves a little planning ahead of time, this means that beans need to be soaked in cool water especially the dried beans for few hours or overnight to get them soften and also to reduces the gaseous substance that causes intestinal discomfort. To get rid of the gaseous substance in beans, you can do two simple things such as soaking beans overnight, prior to the cooking time and also by cooking beans for 10 minutes and then draining the toxic water out before doing the real cooking. In this recipes, I am going to be frying the beans with oil and vegetables instead of cooking them together with the broth.

Tips for cooking dried beans perfectly

  • If your beans are a little bit hard and may be take more time to get soften, it is because you are using old dried beans, they are from the old stock or they are simply not new beans, so they would take a longer time to get properly soft, in this case, you will need to be patience or you can cook the beans using a pressure cooker, pressure cooker helps to cook beans faster at most 30 minutes to 45minutes, depending on the type of beans.
  • Crock pot or slow cooker is good for cooking dried beans, simply leave the beans to cook in a crockpot the whole time while you go about other activities around the house, but this might take a little bit longer compare to using a pressure cooker or instant pot.
  • If you want to cook beans without soaking them in water, you can simply do that as some people are not usually affected by the chemical that causes intestinal discomfort, if you are among these category of people, there will be no need of soaking beans or cooking and draining out the dark liquid.
  • Additionally, the amount of water you need to cook your beans, whether red beans, black beans, kidney beans or white beans depend on the amount of beans you have in mind to cook. The best I can say is to add the water slightly (3 inches) above the beans and cook, then check the beans occasionally to know if they are soft and if they arent soft perfectly, you can always add water and cook until the beans are completely soft and firm.
  • Do not make the mistake of adding seasonings especially salt to dried bean to cook because the beans will never get soft in time, ingredients should be added soon after the beans have become soft and tender.
  • It is important you soak beans first if you intend using a stove top, as this might help to cook faster and evenly.
  • Vegetable and beef stock can be added to cook beans, to give the beans a rich flavour and taste.
  • To prevent your beans from just tasting bland and empty, always season beans with some rich seasoning like cumin, bouillon cubes, crayfish, onions, thyme, ginger, garlic and not just with salt and pepper only and try adding some healthy oil into it ( olive oil or palm oil) for a nice aroma.

Ingredients for preparing white dried beans

  1. 2 cups of dried white beans for 5 servings
  2. 100g of crayfish, blended
  3. 2 pieces of dried fish or mackerel
  4. 4 scotch bonnet peppers, blended
  5. 8 ripe fresh tomatoes, chopped
  6. 3 pieces of carrots, diced
  7. 1 cup green beans, chopped
  8. I medium onion, chopped
  9. 2 sticks of spring onions, chopped
  10. 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  11. 3 bullion or seasoning cubes, crushed
  12. 1 cooking spoon vegetable or olive oil
  13. salt to taste
Ingredients for fried beans
Ingredients for fried beans

 

Just before you prepare beans (How to soak beans)

  • Pour the beans into an open tray to enable you select stones and maybe debris inside of the beans.
  • Add water to the beans and soak for 8 hours. You can do the soaking a day before you cook the beans (overnight).
  • Get rid of the brown liquid and pour the beansinto the pot containing clean water. Do not let the water be too much, just the amount that will cook the beans until they become fully soft.

Directions of cooking dried beans by frying

  1. Place the beans on heat to start cooking without adding any ingredient to it.
  2. Check the beans occasionally by pressing one grain to the side of the pot with a spoon to see if they are soft.
  3. Add more water to the beans if the water dries; cook until very soft, this should take about 1hour if on a stove top.
  4. While the beans are still on heat, wash tomatoes, onion, carrots, spring onions, green beans.
  5. Cut them into preferred sizes, and also blend garlic, pepper and crayfish and keep all aside.
  6. Once the beans are completely tender, bring off from heat and drain excess liquid out.
  7. Heat a deep pan or pot and add 1 cooking spoon vegetable oil into it, wait for it to get hot.
  8. Add onions, garlic into the oil and saut for 1 minute, add diced tomatoes and stir fry until the tomatoes become soft. Add carrots, green beans or peas reduce the heat and season with 3 seasoning cubes, crayfish, salt and pepper, and let it simmer for 3 minutes. Add spring onions and stir to combine.
  9. Return the cooked beans into the pot containing the vegetables and stir well to combine. Cover the lid and leave the beans cook on a low heat for 10 minutes until the seasonings have combined and flavour begins to diffuse out.
  10. Put off heat and serve with plantain chips.

Easy steps to cook dried beans by frying from scratch

  1. Place the beans on heat to start cooking without adding any ingredient to it. Check the beans occasionally by pressing one grain to the side of the pot with a spoon to see if they are soft.
  2. Add more water to the beans if the water dries; cook until very soft, this should take about 1 hour if on a stove top, but if using a pressure cooker, it might take about 30-45 minutes.
Cooking of dried white beans
Cooking of dried white beans

 

3. While the beans are still on heat, wash tomatoes, onion, carrots, spring onions, green beans. Cut them into preferred sizes, and also blend garlic, pepper and crayfish and keep all aside.

4. Once the beans are completely tender, bring off from heat and drain excess liquid out.

Once the beans are cooked, drain excess liquid and set aside
Once the beans are cooked, drain excess liquid and set aside

 

5. Heat a deep pan or pot and add 1 cooking spoon vegetable oil into it, wait for it to get hot.

6. Add onions, garlic into the oil and saut for 1 minute, add diced tomatoes and stir fry until the tomatoes become soft. Add carrots, green beans or peas reduce the heat and season with 3 seasoning cubes, add crayfish, salt and pepper, stir and let it simmer for 3 minutes. Add spring onions and stir to combine.

Frying of onions and diced tomatoes for fried beans soup/porridge
Frying of onions and diced tomatoes for fried beans soup/porridge

 

Once tomato has bean fried for 5 minutes, carrots and green beans should be added to fry also
Once tomato has bean fried for 5 minutes, carrots and green beans should be added to fry also

 

Adding of spring onions to the other vegetables
Adding of spring onions to the other vegetables

 

Add the cooked beans and stir properly to enable the vegetables combine together
Add the cooked beans and stir properly to enable the vegetables combine together

 

7. Bring the cooked beans into the pot containing the vegetables and stir well to combine. Cover the lid and leave the beans cook on a low heat for 10 minutes until the seasonings have combined and flavour begins to diffuse out.

Fried beans with vegetable is ready!
Fried beans with vegetable is ready!

 

8. Put off heat and serve beans with plantain chips.