Recipes to celebrate the heartiness of white beans

White beans cook faster than most other beans. Their mild, neutral flavour makes them versatile in a variety of dishes. During my salad workshops, a white bean salad with rocket and bell peppers in Italian dressing was a staple. The white beans contrasted beautifully with the greens, reds, and oranges, and their ability to soak up the dressing made them a delight to bite into. Almost everyone would ask me where I sourced the beans, as they had never cooked with them before.

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I buy my white beans from a local Mangaluru store. Known as tingalavare in Kannada and tingalavaro in Konkani, these beans are a delicacy in Konkani Saraswat households. Gashi or gassi, a curry from this cuisine, features tamarind, coconut, red chillies, and garlic ground into a paste in which the cooked beans are simmered. White beans are the perfect canvas to absorb these rich, aromatic flavours. I sometimes add cubed potatoes to make it heartier and serve it with lacy neer dosas.

You can use white beans in any way you would use other beans like rajma or chickpeas—in traditional Indian dishes like curries, dal, vadas, sundal or in a variety of cuisines to make salads, soups, hummus, burgers or stews. Speaking of stew, the popular one in Indian cooking is the Kerala ishtu made with either vegetables, chicken or mutton. Minimal but distinct spices like green cardamom, black pepper and cinnamon, veggies like potatoes, shallots, green peas and carrots are quickly prepared in a light coconut milk base with no thickeners. These light and delicate flavours pair well with aapam or string hoppers that soak up the aromatic liquids. When I’m making a stew with beans, I often go in the opposite direction—slower cooked, stronger flavoured from onions and garlic, aromatics in the form of dried herbs and fennel and umami from the tomato paste, all of which stand up to the heartiness of the beans. This dish with beans, vegetables, herbs, and spices is just what we need on cold January evenings. White beans, with their ability to pair beautifully with any vegetables and herbs you have on hand, are the perfect ingredient to make this happen.

White bean stew

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

1 cup white beans (dry)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp crushed fennel seeds

1 large onion, sliced

6 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tbsp tomato paste (or 100ml tomato puree)

2 cups vegetable broth*

Salt as per taste

1 tbsp mixed dried herbs

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp (or less) red chilli flakes

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 cups chopped spinach or any other quick cooking greens

For the garnish

Chopped fresh herbs (parsley or basil)

Extra virgin olive oil

Freshly crushed black pepper

Method

Soak white beans for 6-8 hours. Discard soaking water. Add beans to a pressure cooker with just enough water to cover them and a pinch of salt. Pressure cook for 7-8 minutes on sim after the first whistle. Open when cooled and keep aside.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil on a medium flame. Saute the crushed fennel seeds, onion and garlic, until the onion has softened and starts to brown on the edges. Add the tomato paste and saute for 2-3 minutes on a low flame as this tends to burn.

Add the vegetable broth at this stage along with the cooked beans. Stir in the dried herbs, salt (broth has salt in it so taste and then add more salt if needed), dried herbs, black pepper and chilli flakes. Simmer for around 20 minutes until some of the beans disintegrate and add body to the stew. Stir in the lemon juice and chopped spinach. Once the spinach has wilted, ladle the stew into bowls and garnish with fresh herbs, olive oil and black pepper. Serve hot.

*Instead of vegetable broth, mix in a veg stock cube or two in 2 cups of hot water and use that.

Warm white bean salad with tomatoes

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 cup red cherry tomatoes, halved (or 2 medium tomatoes, diced)

Up to 1 tsp salt

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Half tsp sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1 medium onion, sliced

1 cup cooked white beans (not mushy, water drained)

Half tsp salt

Half tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

Half tsp chilli flakes

Method

Prepare the tomato mixture by combining cherry tomatoes, salt, apple cider vinegar and sugar. Mix well and let it sit for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil. Saute garlic and onions over a medium flame until the onions are lightly golden. Add the beans along with salt, cumin, smoked paprika and chilli flakes and stir gently until well coated. Cook this for 10 minutes on a low flame.

In a platter, spread out the beans and spoon the tomato mixture over it uniformly. Serve as a side or a salad.

Double Tested is a fortnightly column on vegetarian cooking, highlighting a single ingredient prepared two ways. Nandita Iyer’s latest book is The Great Indian Thali—Seasonal Vegetarian Wholesomeness. She posts @saffrontrail on Instagram and Twitter.

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