Black beans with smoked salsa and coconut milk - a mildly sweet and spicy combination.
Chef's notes
Black beans are also known as turtle beans. Black beans hold their shape well during cooking and have a velvety texture.
All beans should be soaked prior to cooking. This helps to reduce the cooking time and also removes some of the gases, making them easier to digest. There are a few ways to soak beans. After sorting and rinsing, soak in cold water for no more than 8 hours, then rinse.
If you have forgotten to soak the beans in advance, bring them to a boil over high heat for about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and continue with the recipe.
You can add aromatics and spices, but do not add salt or acidic ingredients in the early stages of cooking. They will toughen the skins and slow the cooking time.
In this recipe, we're using Salsa de Molcajete, which adds a wonderful smoky flavor, but you can use any salsa you prefer.
Steps
1
Cleaning & Cooking the Beans
Ingredients
1 cup dried, black beans
3 to 5 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sea salt
To start the beans, first sort through to remove any stones. Rinse well and cover with cold water.
Once the beans have soaked for 8 hours, drain them, and place into a medium-sized pot and cover with at least twice the amount of water. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Mince the garlic and add to the pot, along with the bay leaves.
Once the beans come to a boil, turn to medium-low and let simmer for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Skim the surface occasionally to remove any scum and check from time to time to make sure they are simmering, not boiling.
You may need to adjust the heat and add a bit of water if you notice the water level has fallen. After about an hour test the beans for doneness. Once the beans are almost done, add the salt. Once they are just cooked through, but not mushy, drain the beans and remove the bay leaves.
To finish the beans, place into a clean pot. Add the chipotle pepper puree, maple syrup, salsa and coconut milk and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom. Let simmer until the beans absorb most of the coconut milk. As the coconut milk reduces, the mixture will get thicker. Taste for seasoning and serve.
These can be served as a side dish or served with corn chips for an delicious dip.
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I was curious how this would taste, with several sweet ingredients. But the dish doesn't taste sweet, just not super bean-y either. It was delicious! Very easy too!
Rosie G •I was curious how this would taste, with several sweet ingredients. But the dish doesn't taste sweet, just not super bean-y either. It was delicious! Very easy too!
Tria W •Just made this dish- it is so insanely good. I made the Salsa de Molcajete recipe here on Rouxbe but doubled the amount of jalapeños.
Matthew C •Could this be made with canned black beans instead? If so, at what point would you start?
Lauren L •Hi Matthew. Yes. Once the recipe starts the method in the clean pot, use your drained and rinsed canned beans. No problem. Lauren