Nigerian Brown Beans
There are so many great dishes that come from Africa. We stumble upon them or meet up with African chefs to learn new dishes. This is our take on a Nigerian bean dish that we think is so delicious that it felt necessary to share it with you. It doesn’t take a lot to make but it is so worth it. We don’t soak these but cook them on the stovetop to create this delicious meal to share with your family and friends.
Serves:8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
¼ cup palm oil
2 red onions, cut into large chunks
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cups Nigerian brown or honey beans
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ habanero
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
4 Ripe plantains
Instructions:
In a 6-quart Dutch oven, heat the palm oil over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the onions and sauté until the onions wilt, 5 to 6 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir for 1 minute then follow with oregano and paprika, cooking until the spices bloom, 2 minutes.
Remove the contents of the Dutch oven and split into 2 bowls. Add one bowl back to the Dutch oven along with the beans, stock, chicken bouillon, a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until tender, 2 hours.
Into a blender jar, add the other bowl of sauteed ingredients, the tomatoes, habanero, red bell pepper and green onions, puree until smooth. Add to another saucepan and cook until everything comes together, 40 minutes.
Once the beans are fully cooked, add the contents of the blender jar to the beans, stir and let simmer another 15 minutes.
While the beans simmer, peel and slice the plantains into 2-inch chunks then sauté in a little vegetable oil until they become soft. Serve the beans topped with the cooked plantains and enjoy.