African bean stew
These spicy, stewed African beans served with baked plantain and rice make a great vegan or vegetarian dinner or side dish.
Servings 6 people
Calories 587kcal
Ingredients
For the beans
- 300 g dried kidney beans
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- 3 cloves
- 1 tablespoon Marmite or other yeast extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- black pepper
- salt
For the plantains
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 plantains
To serve
- 450 g rice cooked to packet instructions
- handful parsley chopped
Instructions
For the beans
- You will need to start this dish the night before you want to cook it. Rinse the beans, cover with cold water and soak overnight.
- Drain, rinse and cover again with clean water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for around 1 hour until soft - the time varies depending on the beans.
- Drain the beans reserving the water to add back to the pan.
- Rinse the pan, then heat the oil.
- Add the onion and fry until golden brown. Add the garlic, stir and cook for a minute before adding the chopped tomatoes.
- Add the tomato puree and stir.
- Add the spices, soya sauce and marmite, and slowly add the bean water until you have a soupy texture.
- Spoon in the cooked beans and simmer for a few minutes. Check the seasoning and add extra salt and pepper if needed.
For the plantains
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6.
- Peel and slice the plantains into 1cm thick slices.
- Place on a lightly greased baking tray and brush lightly with oil. Bake for 10 minutes, turn and repeat for a further ten minutes. Check the softness of the beans with a fork - if not soft return to the oven for a further ten minutes.
To serve
- Serve the beans and plantain with rice and sprinkled with chopped parsley.