Red kidney beans with spiced minced beef

Ingredients

375 grams red kidney beans (haricots rouges)
500 grams lean mince beef
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
2-3 heaped tablespoons organic tomato paste
500 ml chicken stock
3 tablespoons oil
6-8 cloves
salt and pepper to taste
Water as required

Method

Soak the red kidney beans in cold water for 1 hour.

Place minced beef in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to rest. Finely chop onion. Finely chop parsley. Remove thyme leaves from sprigs and put aside. Crush garlic and ginger.

Drain the red kidney beans of all water in a coarse sieve. This will allow all impurities to drain away. Put the soaked beans and cloves in a pressure cooker. Pour in clean cold water until a 25mm or 1 inch cover is obtained.

Stir in one tablespoon of salt or to taste. Place lid on pressure cooker and close. Allow to cook under medium heat until pressure builds up. Cook for 15 minutes under pressure. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove the cloves.

Place three tablespoons of oil in a deep casserole saucepan. Heat under medium heat. When hot, put in the minced beef, finely chopped onion, crushed garlic and ginger, thyme and half the parsley. Stir gently and allow to cook until the minced beef acquires a nice cooked colour or to your preference. Stir at intervals to prevent the minced beef from burning at the bottom of the saucepan. Stir in the tomato paste and incorporate with the minced beef. Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes or until well integrated with the minced beef. If needs be, add some chicken stock to prevent the minced beef from burning.

Carefully remove the cooked beans with a slotted spoon and put into casserole saucepan with the minced beef and other ingredients. Add some more chicken stock into the saucepan. Gently mix and avoid crushing the red beans, cover the saucepan and allow the mixture to simmer. You can also adjust the sauce by adding some more of the chicken stock. Similarly, if there is too much sauce, uncover and allow the water to evaporate.

Allow to cook under medium heat, stir at regular intervals to avoid the ingredients burning and allow to simmer until cooked to your preference. Some people like the beans half cooked, others want it creamy. So allow to cook according to taste.

Carefully remove from casserole saucepan and place in serving dish.

Sprinkle chopped parsley over and enjoy.

Serve with rice. Can also be eaten with fresh crusty bread.

Source

Madeleine's recipe : Red Kidney Beans with spiced minced beef

Discover more of Madeleine’s Mauritian cuisine in

‘Best of Mauritian Cuisine’ by Madeleine and Clancy Philippe