Recipes from Madagascar - Kabaro au Carry (Curried Beans)

No matter how many times I've cooked dried beans, I never get used to the whole "you have to soak them first" thing. Or more accurately, I just never remember to do it.

Kabaro au Carry (Lima beans in tomato sauce)

Now, a few weeks ago I bought myself a new pressure cooker. You might remember that for a long time I was using my grandma's old pressure cooker, circa 1965, and there was that one time that it launched the little wobbly thing on top into the air like the space shuttle, which was mildly terrifying. And also those old pressure cookers sometimes explode, so yeah, it was time to get another one.

So anyway, when I bought my pressure cooker I was thinking, "Yay I don't have to soak beans anymore" (of course, it's not like I ever actually did soak beans ... but that's what I was thinking). But the cookbook that came with my pressure cooker was all, "You still have to soak the beans," and I was all, "What the what now?" So apparently buying the pressure cooker does not solve the whole bean soaking problem.

So I forgot to soak the beans, and then I tried to modify this recipe for the pressure cooker even though the beans were not pre-soaked, and although the whole thing wasn't a disaster or anything I'm not sure that the finished product was anywhere near what it would have been if I'd just followed the recipe.

So having said all that, here's the recipe, I'm going to tell you the proper way to do it and just pretend that that's how I did it.

So ideally, you want to rinse the beans and then soak them overnight. The next day, heat up the olive oil over a medium flame, then add the onion and cook until translucent.

Here's where I would normally add a picture, but I was too busy stressing out about the whole how-much-liquid-do-I-add-to-my-pressure-cooker-and-do-I-put-the-tomatoes-in-now-or-later thing and I forgot to take any.

Next, add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or so and then stir in the garlic and spices.

Drain the lima beans, and then add them to the pot with a fresh four cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the beans are tender (between 60 and 90 minutes). The sauce should be fairly thick, but add water if it gets a little clumpy.

Martin liked these more than I did. In the pressure cooker, the sauce cooked way down and I didn't actually think to add a little water to it, So it was almost like beans in straight tomato paste. Of course, Martin loves that really thick tomato flavor so he really liked them, but I found it overwhelming. Of course, I think it was my poor pressure cooker conversion that made the recipe turn out the way it did, so there's no way that can be a criticism. Anyway, here's the printable recipe:

Kabaro au Carry

from Food Fare Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup dried lima beans
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 28 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 cups water

Instructions

1. Rinse the beans in cold water and soak overnight.
2. Heat the olive oil over a medium flame, then add the onion and cook until translucent
3. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Let cook for 10 minutes or so, then stir in the garlic and spices.
4. Add the lima beans and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the beans are tender (between 60 and 90 minutes). The sauce should be fairly thick, but add water if it gets a little clumpy.

Approximate time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Serves 6.