Smoky Peruvian (Peruano) Beans
 
 
Creamy Peruvian beans prepared in a smoldering chipotle sauce with vegetables
Author:
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • For the Beans:
  • ​​1 ​large ​onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, (crushed, salted and chopped)
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • ​10 or so baby carrots, thin sliced (or any carrots you have on hand)
  • ​1 sweet bell pepper, diced (I used red)
  • 4 cups cooked peruvian beans​ (from 1 rounded cup dry)
  • 2 cups veg stock​ (or stock of choice)​
  • ½ cup water
  • 3 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 individual chipotle chiles (the ones in adobo sauce), chopped (seeds and all!) + 3 tsp reserved adobo sauce​ (or less, see Notes)
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp honey (or sweetener of choice)
  • For the Tapioca (or Cornstarch) Slurry:
  • Dissolve 1 round Tbsp tapioca (or cornstarch) into equal parts water and whisk together to fully blend.
  • For Garnish:
  • Fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, dollop plain yogurt, lime wedges, as desired. Serve accompanied by salad of choice or, as pictured here, brown basmati.
Instructions
  1. Prepare your dry Peruvian beans by soaking them overnight (simply cover in a pot with cool water) and drain/rinse in the morning. Pre-soaking can help ease digestive distress in those susceptible.
  2. Transfer the drained beans to a cooking pot on stove and cover with generous amount of water - bring the beans to a boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer for the duration (you may need to add water as the beans cook). Allow beans to simmer until desired texture is achieved (I like them tender but still slightly firm) about 45 mins - 1 hour. Rinse cooked beans and set aside.
  3. In a large skillet set over low-medium heat, s​auté onion/garlic for about 4 minutes in some olive oil - add carrots, bell pepper and continue to sauté for another minute or two.
  4. Sprinkle mixture with paprika and cumin and mix in chopped chipotle peppers.
  5. Add veg stock, water, tomato paste, reserved adobo sauce, vinegar and honey. Stir to combine. Finally, add cooked Peruvian beans stirring gently to integrate.
  6. Simmer ingredients for about 10-15 mins to reduce liquid base (stirring occasionally).
  7. To the remaining base (there should still be a generous amount after reduction), add the tapioca (or cornstarch) slurry and simmer for another 3 minutes just long enough to allow sauce to thicken slightly. The way I do it is to move some of the beans aside with a spoon and then add the slurry directly into the exposed liquid stirring/whisking vigorously before the final simmer. Taste and add salt as desired.
Notes
Do I really have to soak the beans? Nope. But pre-soaking beans can ease gastric distress in those susceptible and reduce the effect of phytic acid on mineral absorption. It can also reduce cooking time by a bit. It's really easy to do - just need to remember to stick them in a pot of covered water before going to bed.
Can I skip the slurry? I think you'll find that without the slurry, the beans will be sitting in a pot of soup. Slurries are really simple to whip-up (literally 1 or 2 tbsp of powder to equal parts water whisked together) and I can't say enough about how effective and practical this little thickening agent is! You can use it anytime you need to thicken up a sauce that's a little more dilute than you would have liked (slow cooker meals, gravies, etc). It's a great culinary tool to have at your disposal.
How Spicy is this recipe? Spice is in the tongue of the beholder. From my perspective, the dish has a nice smoky flavor but a very tolerable heat level (relatively mild) my husband has a low threshold for spicy meals and found this one just right but everyone is different -- feel free to start with 1 individual chipotle and move up from there.
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2017/10/smoky-peruvian-beans.html