Ménage à Bean
From the top clockwise, TexMex black bean salad, Indian kidney bean salad, Italian cannelini bean salad.
So I’m a bit behind on this post, as I promised it back during MemDay weekend.
Anyway, this is a tale of vegetarianism, lactose intolerance and side dishes that spreads across three continents. For the first BBQ (I’m using the term as a party featuring grilled food, as meant in Jersey) of the season, I decided to make something that Maidelitala (veggie/lactard) could actually eat since she was the one who invited me to the birthday party.
The first thing I could think of to cook was a bean dish. I knew she loved beans and although I’m new to liking the genre, I thought this would be a great way to experiment. I spied this cannelini bean recipe over at Cookthink. As it’s well documented that I can’t follow instructions, I messed up a bit on the adding water part (put in way to much) and then I forgot the vinegar and added it after I took it off the pan. To make it my own, I mixed in asparagus and diced red onion and served it at room temperature. My bean salad was surely a hit, especially smashed on a baguette.
But clearly, this is not the end of the story. As you can see pictured above, there were two other competing bean salads. And I shit you not, these three bean salads were the only non-grilled side dishes. It was super embarrassing. Luckily, all of the bean salads were different and delicious. Mine had a more Italian theme. The host’s mom made a TexMex black bean salad and Maidelitala created a stunningly tasty Indian bean salad. Her recipe post jump.
Indian Bean Salad
Now, Maidelitala dictated to me her recipe while I was slightly intoxicated. So, please, M, feel free to correct this in the comments. I do remember this being a very step-by-step recipe, but my notes mostly reflect ingredients rather than process. Shocking, I know.
Four spoonfuls of curry powder, 1 spoonful of turmeric, saute chickpeas with seasoning. Caramelize onions separately. Then add in cherry tomatoes, cumin, extra virgin, kidney beans and add everything together – stir in cilantro before serving. Or something like that.
not that she’s bound to cook the cuisine of her mother country, but our host’s mom is costariquena… sure that wasn’t Costa Rican instead of Tex-Mex?
it didn’t taste very Tico to me mike d…. but then I haven’t been back there since for (OMG) TWELVE years.
make sure you add a bit of salt once the onions start to caramelize to really bring out the sweet…. also I do believe I added about half a teaspoon full of nutritional yeast… because I VERY rarely cook without it these days. I know.. it’s a pyscho staple but I swear it adds a lot of vitamins and a yummy almost buttery taste
psst-psst… secret to beans: make sure any harder/denser beans such as chick peas and pigeon beans are sauteed for a long time. That way you’re digestive system can process the beans more efficiently and you won’t give more gas than necessary to the grill (so to speak)….
M’tla – I’m still waiting for a full post on this nutritional yeast thing! I’m mystified!
I know! I totally have to get my ass in gear. I’ve been attending to write a joint memo about Nut-Y with my very nearly erstwhile roommate who also is a BIG fan of the stuff. We have also sorts of yeast-using recipes to share.
intending