Tangy Kidney Bean Curry

Now I really genuinely dislike kidney beans. I hate that they're always added to chilli because they're so dry and take me away from enjoying the rest of the dish. In fact, that's why I created the Black Bean Chilli recipe. Black beans are soooo much more delicious!

HOWEVER, I had a couple of cans in the cupboard, they've been there for a while and I needed to use them as I'm on a big savings mission at the moment which has led me to cut down on the amount I spend on our groceries each month. Logically this means attempting to actually empty the cupboards before stocking up on things (I'm not amazing at this but I'm making a big effort), doing some of my supermarket shop online (less distractions) and eating all of the left overs from the fridge. It also requires weekly meal plans where I plan at least 3 meals for the week plus room for creative/crave inspired meals.

I came up with this recipe using what I had in the fridge and cupboards and OH MY OH MY. Introducing my new favourite dish. I beg you to try it and let me know if you're now a kidney bean convert too.

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I want to apologise for the quality of these photos. They're.....realistic at least.

Add a few splashes of water to turn your broken down tomatoes into a thin paste.

This is was you should get at the end once you've added the coconut milk. Now to simmer it down to the thickness you want. Remember you want to mash some of those beans down to thicken it up too AND the sauce is really tasty so keep it as saucy as you like so long as the flavours are there.

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Recipe

TANGY KIDNEY BEAN CURRY

Don't drain the beans, or at least don't drain both cans, that bean juice is full of flavour and bean starch. Check there's no nasties in the ingredients list (organic are often just beans and water). The thickness of this curry is absolutely up to you and depends largely on how long you simmer it for, how much (if any) water you drain from the bean tins and how many beans you mash.

SERVES 4

PREP TIME 10 MINS | COOK TIME 15-30 MINS | TOTAL 25-40 MINS

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp oil

1 onion (finely chopped)

1" gingers (peeled and grated)

3 cloves garlic (crushed)

1 large tomato (finely chopped)

2 cans kidney beans

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 can coconut cream/milk

1 tbsp tamarind paste (diluted in hot water, seeds removed)

SPICES

1 tbsp madras curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

salt (to taste)

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a non-stick wok or saucepan and fry the onions and ginger until onions begin to turn brown.

2. Add the crushed garlic and stir for one minute.

3. Add the spices and fry until aromas are nicely released (about 2 mins)

4. Add the tomato paste and stir for about 2 minutes until it doesn't smell vinegary anymore.

5. Add the fresh tomatoes and cook until they're broken down and mushy.

6. Add about 4 tbsp water (no need to be exact) to form a thin paste.

7. Now add the kidney beans. Add one tin at a time to see if you want all the water from both cans (each brand is different). I like to simmer mine for a while so excess water is no problem. Simmer for at least 10-20 mins stirring occasionally. The beans are ready when they split when gently pressed with the back of a spoon.

8. Add the coconut cream and diluted tamarind paste. Mash some of the beans down (I aim for half the beans) and simmer until desired consistency.

9. Taste and season.

10. Either serve immediately with rice and salad or let it get better with a bit of time and reheat later!