← Nouns Cooking · Brazilian & Peruvian

Ingredients

• 450 g dried black beans (or pinto/carioca beans)
• 1.5 l water, plus more as needed
• 2 Bay leaves
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp salt, or to taste
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (optional)
• 2 tbsp coriander or parsley, chopped (optional)

Method

1. Pick over the beans for stones, rinse them and soak in plenty of cold water for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.
2. Put the beans in a large pot with the water and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, skim off any foam, then cover partly and simmer for 1 hour, until the beans are tender and creamy inside. Top up with hot water so they stay covered by about 3 cm.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5–6 min, until soft and golden at the edges, then add the garlic and cumin and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant.
4. Scoop a ladle of beans with some liquid into the frying pan and mash them into the onions with a spoon. Tip everything back into the bean pot.
5. Add the salt and pepper and simmer uncovered for 15–20 min, stirring now and then, until the broth is thick and velvety. Stir in the vinegar and herbs, and fish out the bay leaves.
6. Serve over white rice. The beans thicken more as they cool; loosen leftovers with a splash of water.

Tips

• A pressure cooker makes this a weeknight dish: cook soaked beans for 25–30 minutes at pressure, then carry on from step 3.
• For the meaty version many families love, fry 100 g diced bacon or smoked sausage before the onion (it’s then no longer vegetarian).

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Brazilian Kitchen Abroad Easy and Delish