Beans | GOOD EATS|GOOD LIVING

Mondays are veggie days in my household. After the weekend indulgence and pigging out on fast food and all kinds of unhealthy fare,it’s time to give the digestive track a rest and some much needed fibre to …ahem move things along for the coming week. So in keeping with this, Monday dinner was chapati,coconut beans and some curried courgette.

Coconut Beans (Maharaghe ya Nazi)

Now, beans have gotten a rather bad rap with most people completely avoiding beans citing gas,constipation and other unsavoury side effects as a reason to steer clear of beans. There is an easy way for you to enjoy your beans and get all the benefits and stay gas free.

Always soak your dry beans at least overnight,discard the water and boil. I usually do a further step and discard the water once the beans are halfway cooked then use fresh water add salt and other seasonings and continue boiling till the beans are cooked. At this point if I had made a lot of beans – which is usually the norm I separate the boiled and cooled beans into individual packages to freeze and use later for a quick meal,rather than boil small servings at a time.

Ingredients:

(for boiling beans)

Beans

salt to taste

garlic powder

(for frying beans)

2 onions diced

1tsp grated ginger

1 tomato diced

1 whole scotch bonnet chilli

1 diced capsicum(preferably coloured)

1 cup coconut milk

Soak the beans in hot,boiling water. (For every two cups of beans add ten cups of water.) Soak the beans overnight then pour out the water and boil in clean water. Halfway though cooking, pour out the water,rinse the beans in cold water and add fresh water, some salt and garlic powder or fresh minced garlic and continue boiling till completely cooked.

1.In a new pot, fry the onions until translucent but not brown. Add ginger and fry for a while.Add the tomatoes until completely cooked then add the beans minus the cooking stock.

2.Add the cooking stock, stir in the capsicum and whole scotch bonnet chilli and bring to a boil.

Add the coconut milk and once again bring to a boil.
Discard the scotch bonnet chilli and it’s ready to serve.

BENEFITS OF SOAKING BEANS PRIOR TO BOILING

The toxins that cause flatulence are eliminated

Reduces cooking time and ensures even cooking as well.

Enhance taste.

Reduced cooking time conserves fuel.

PLEASE NOTE,I RARELY USE TOMATOES OR USE JUST ONE WHEN MAKING THIS DISH AS IT TENDS TO ADD ACIDITY TO THE DISH AND CHANCES OF GOING BAD QUICKLY ARE RATHER HIGH.

I LIKE TO ADD CAPSICUM TOWARDS THE END OF COOKING SO AS NOT TO OVERCOOK THEM.

MAHARAGHE YA NAZI

Kutayarisha mapishi ya maharaghe,nayachambua jioni kuondoa taka, kisha nayaosha na kuloweka usiku wote. Kesho yake ninayasuza kisha kuweka kwenye sufuria na kubandika jikoni,ndani ya saa moja yatakuwa yameiva.

Wakati yakikaribia kuiva,namwaya mami na kuyasafisha maharaghe na maji baridi kisha ku weak maji mapya naweka chumvi na thomu na pia nahakikisha supu yake haikaukii maana ndio mchuzi wenyewe.

Yakishaiva chukua sufuria safi kwa ajili ya kuunga.

Kaanga kitunguu chako (napendelea vitunguu vingi kidogo) hakikisha hakiungui wala hakibadiliki rangi kisha weka nyanya na kaanga mpaka iive,ongeza tangawizi,ongeza maharage bila supu, geuzageuza mchanganyiko wako uchanganyike vizuri

Weka supu, vikianza kuchemka na mchanganyiko ukiwa umechanganyika vizuri, weka hoho, na karoti kiasi na pipipili mbuzi nzima, acha vichemke kidogo

Tia tui bubu/zito na chemsha hadi tui kuiva

Epua tayari kwa kuliwa.

FAIDA ZA KULOWEKA MAHARAGE MAKAVU KABLA YA KUPIKA.

Hupunguza sumu iliyoko kwenye ganda ambayo husababisha uoni hafifu.
Hufanya maharage yanaiva vizuri na kwa muda mfupi bila kupasukapasuka
Huongeza ladha- maharage yaliyoloweka huwa na ladha nzuri zaidi kushinda ambayo hayajalowekwa.
Hupunguza gharama ziwe za mkaa, kuni, gesi au umeme, tena kwa wale ambao wana pressure cooker muda huwa mfupi zaidi.

-VILEVILE MIMI SIPENDELEI KUWEKA NYANYA NYINGI KWENYE MAHARAGE KWA SABABU YANAKUWA NA LADHA YA UCHACHU NA NI RAHISI KUCHACHA.