red kidney beans

In many ways, the electric pressure cooker’s moist environment was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/05/dining/instant-pot-indian.html">meant for Indian food</a>: It cooks dried beans quickly, sometimes without even a soak, and is conducive to saucier dishes like this dal. Adapted from “Madhur Jaffrey’s Instantly Indian Cookbook” (Knopf, 2019), this recipe is a relatively fast way to a rich, satisfying dish. You can make your own garam masala (see Tip), or simply use store-bought. Don’t skip the tarka: Thinly sliced onions are cooked in ghee until deep in color and then tossed with paprika and chile powder, adding a bright flavor that cuts through the rich dal. Serve it with Indian flatbreads, like naan, roti or parathas, though Ms. Jaffrey also recommends whole-wheat pita.

Madhur Jaffrey’s Pressure Cooker Dal (Dal Makkhani)

urad

red kidney beans (rajma)

(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 4 teaspoons)

garlic clove, crushed

chile powder,

Kosher salt

heavy cream

garam masala (see Tip)

unsalted butter,

peanut oil

onion,

paprika

Prepare the beans: Wash urad and beans, and soak them overnight at room temperature, in water that covers them generously. Drain them.

Put the beans into an electric pressure cooker. Add tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chile powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups water. Close and seal the lid, then set to cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, before letting the pressure release naturally. (If pressure still hasn’t released naturally after 15 minutes, quick-release the pressure.)

As pressure releases, prepare the tarka: Put the oil or ghee in a small frying pan over medium heat. When hot, arrange the onions in a single layer. Stir and fry them, turning now and then, until they turn reddish gold and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika and chile powder, and remove from heat.

Once the pressure has released, hit cancel to reset the pressure cooker. Open the lid carefully, venting the steam away from you. Stir the dal. Using a potato masher, crush the dal as much as you can. Taste, adding salt as needed.

Select the sauté setting, and set to normal. Add the cream, garam masala and 1 tablespoon butter, and stir until dal reaches desired consistency. Transfer dal to a serving dish and add another dollop of butter on top. Top with tarka.

Learn how to cook dried red kidney beans to prepare them for use in recipes. Includes storage and freezing techniques.

How to Cook, Soak and Freeze Dried Red Kidney Beans

water, divided

salt (optional)

The method here uses a ratio of 10 cups of water per pound of dried red kidney beans. If you plan to use a different amount, please adjust accordingly using this ratio. In a large pot or bowl combine the beans with water at a ratio of 10 cups of water per pound of dried beans. Soak the beans in the water, either overnight at room temperature or through the quick soak method (outlined below). Soaking speeds up the cook time, helps the beans to cook more evenly, and makes them easier to digest.

Once the beans have soaked, you will notice that they have increased in size, indicating that they have absorbed moisture.

To quick soak the beans, you will need 1 hour. Place the kidney beans into the bottom of a large pot and cover with water. Bring beans to a boil. Let them boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. The beans will expand, so make sure you cover by several inches of water to allow for this. After soaking using either method, drain and rinse the beans.

Place the beans in a large pot and cover again with the same ratio of fresh water. It is important to use fresh water for boiling; the soaking water contains oligosaccharides, released from the beans during soaking, that can lead to digestive discomfort. Add salt to the cooking water if desired to give the beans more flavor (I use about 1 tablespoon salt for every 10 cups of water). Place on the stovetop and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until you reach desired tenderness. I recommend stirring the beans a few times throughout the cooking process so that the beans at the bottom of the pot don’t soften before the beans at the top.

Once the beans have finished cooking, drain them in a colander.

If freezing, allow the beans to cool, you can speed this process by rinsing them with cold water. Then transfer them to a freezer safe container, I recommend resealable bags, and freeze until needed. I like to measure out 1 ¾ cups of beans in each bag, which is equivalent to the amount in a standard sized can. They will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.

When ready to use your frozen beans, remove the beans from the freezer and thaw. They can be reheated on the stovetop, added to soups and stews or used however you would use canned beans.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/aFR6kpJ9.mp4

How to Cook, Soak and Freeze Dried Red Kidney Beans - Learn how to cook dried red kidney beans to prepare them for use in recipes. Includes storage and freezing techniques.

How to Soak and Cook Kidney Beans

This great chilli recipe has to be one of the best dishes to serve to friends for a casual get-together. An easy sharing favourite that uses up storecupboard ingredients.

Chilli con carne recipe

onion

red pepper

garlic

tbsp oil

tsp cumin

lean minced beef

beef stock cube

can chopped tomatoes

marjoram

tsp sugar(or add a thumbnail-sized piece of dark chocolate along with the beans

tomato purée

plain boiled long grain rice, to serve

Prepare your vegetables. <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-paring-knives">Chop</a> 1 large onion into small dice, about 5mm square. The easiest way to do this is to cut the onion in half from root to tip, peel it and slice each half into thick matchsticks lengthways, not quite cutting all the way to the root end so they are still held together. Slice across the matchsticks into neat dice.

Cut 1 red pepper in half lengthways, remove stalk and wash the seeds away, then chop. <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/top-five-garlic-gadgets">Peel</a> and finely chop 2 garlic cloves.

Start cooking. Put your <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/review/best-saute-pans">pan</a> on the hob over a medium heat. Add 1 tbsp oil and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot (a little longer for an electric hob).

Add the onion and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft, squidgy and slightly translucent.

Tip in the garlic, red pepper, 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder or 1 level tbsp mild chilli powder, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp ground cumin.

Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Brown 500g lean minced beef. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. The mix should sizzle a bit when you add the mince.

Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.

Make the sauce. Crumble 1 beef stock cube into 300ml hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture.

Add a 400g can of chopped tomatoes. Tip in ½ tsp dried marjoram, 1 tsp sugar and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Squirt in about 2 tbsp tomato purée and stir the sauce well.

Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes.

Check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.

Drain and rinse a 410g can of red kidney beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry.

Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think.

Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving. This is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle.

Serve with soured cream and plain boiled long grain rice.

With mouth-watering smokiness, this bean salad wins for health and taste.

Chargrilled tomato & bean salad with spicy dressing

milliliters (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil

tbsp red wine vinegar

tomato Medley Mix, halved olive oil spray

red onion,

green round beans, trimmed, halved diagonally

can red kidney beans, rinsed, drained

tbsp chopped fresh continental parsley

A play on Southern red beans and rice, this is a spicy, filling and highly nutritious dish. To make this meat-free, leave out the bacon, or substitute sliced mushrooms fried in olive oil for depth of flavor. But do use the hot sauce, preferably one with a vinegar bite to brighten up the dense heartiness of beans and grains.

Grains and Beans

grains,

chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade

salt, more as needed

bacon, diced

onion, diced

green pepper, diced

celery stalk, diced, plus celery leaves

garlic cloves,

thyme leaves,

black pepper

nutmeg

sauce,

In a medium pot, simmer grains in chicken stock, adding salt to taste if stock is unsalted. Different grains will cook at different rates, but 35 to 75 minutes is the general range. When grains are just tender, drain, reserving any extra stock.

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, reserving 2 tablespoons bacon grease in skillet.

Add onion, pepper, celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt to skillet and cook until vegetables are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 2 minutes longer, until garlic is fragrant.

Stir beans, black pepper and nutmeg into skillet and cook until vegetables are very tender, 10 to 20 minutes, adding some reserved chicken stock from the grains or water if pan looks dry.

Add drained grains to pan and stir until heated through, adding more stock or water if needed. Stir in bacon, and salt to taste. Serve grains and beans topped with celery and thyme leaves, with hot sauce on the side.

Dhal, made from lentils, peas or beans, is eaten all over India, with bread or rice

Makhani dhal

black lentils

onions

green chillies

butter

tbsp grated fresh root ginger

tsp turmeric

½ tsp hot chilli powder (optional)

tsp coriander

bay leaves

pot double cream

½ tsp garam masala

coriander

Boil the lentils in 800ml water for 15 mins until almost tender. Meanwhile, fry the onions and chillies in the 50g butter for about 7 mins until starting to soften. Stir in the ginger, garlic and spices and cook over a low heat for 1 min more.

Pour in 800ml boiling water followed by the cooked lentils and any liquid. Add the bay leaves and beans, then simmer for 20 mins more until thickened. This can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, or frozen for up to 1 month.

To serve, return to the heat if necessary and stir in the cream. Season well. Pour into a bowl, dot with the remaining butter, dust with garam masala and scatter with coriander.

How to prep, cook and freeze dried red kidney beans for all your recipes- Dried beans are cheaper and tastier than canned versions and a great store cupboard staple to have on-hand!

Red Kidney Beans - how to prep, cook, freeze

Red kidney Beans

Water

Begin by rinsing the beans and placing them in a large container with the needed water. Per 1 cup of beans, you'll need between 4-5 cups of fresh, cold water. Remember every 1 cup of dried beans will become 2.5 cups of cooked beans.

Leave these to soak for at least 6 hours or overnight, at room temperature ( alternatively, use the boil soak method in the notes). During the soak time, the beans will expand 2-2.5x their size so make sure that your container is big enough for this.

After soaking, drain the water and rinse the beans thoroughly, once more. Next, it's time to cook your beans.

To cook them, place the soaked beans in a large pot and cover with water (4-5 cups of fresh water). *

Bring to a boil, boil for 10 minutes and then simmer for a further 30 minutes. Cooking time may vary slightly- so keep an eye after around 25 minutes.

Stir occasionally so all beans cook evenly. During the cooking process, a foam can appear on the top of the water. This can easily be scooped out.** If the beans soak up all the water before the time is up, add more boiling hot water (from the kettle) to cover them. 

They are cooked when they have a creamy, tender texture. Once the beans have finished cooking, drain the liquid.

If freezing the beans, first leave them to cool down completely after cooking them. You can rinse them with cold water, to help speed up the process. 

Separate in convenient portions and store in freezer-safe glass containers ( boxes or freezer bags will work). Keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

For shorter-term storage, these beans can be kept in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge. Just make sure that the beans are put in the fridge or freezer within two hours of them being cooked. Otherwise, bacteria can start to grow. When you want to use the frozen beans, take out of the freezer and thaw. You can add them to meals while cooking, or just reheat them by themselves. 

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Top 7 red kidney beans recipes from across the web

The most viewed red kidney beans recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Madhur Jaffrey’s Pressure Cooker Da...

How to Cook, Soak and Freeze Dried ...

Chilli con carne recipe

Chargrilled tomato & bean salad wit...

Grains and Beans

Makhani dhal

Red Kidney Beans - how to prep, coo...

The most viewed red kidney beans recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine