This humble yet flavorful red beans and rice dish will be one you'll add to your weekly rotation - with a guarantee to make your house smell amazing! Aromatics like onions, tomatoes and ginger cooked down with our Masala Paste make a beautiful sauce for the Shagbark Pinto beans. Serve with rice and garnish with cilantro and green onion or add as a side to any plate (like the thali featured below!)
Recipe and photos by Chef Rasul Welch
Ingredients
2 cups dried Shagbark pinto beans
6 cups water
2 shallots or 1 red onion, diced
1tbsp ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp Masala Paste
1 tomato, diced
For the Beans
Soak beans for up to 8 hours if you want. It will cut cooking time down a bit. Add beans to water and simmer on low heat for 2 hours. Don’t let them come to a boil!
Heat some veg oil or butter in a pan over medium high. Add ginger, garlic, and onions and 2 tbsp or so of water. Cook until brown, stirring often.
Add tomatoes and cook until deep red and fragrant. Kitchen and any attached rooms should smell good.
Add Masala Paste and cook until deeper red and more fragrant. Whole house should smell good.
Add mixture to bean pot and simmer to desired texture. I like a little bite, like al dente pasta!
Whole neighborhood should smell good at this point. When beans are ready cover and remove from heat.
Rinse basmati rice. Put in pot and touch rice gently with your pinkie. cover with water to the first knuckle. Add salt and butter or ghee to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover.
(Or go to Park to Shop and buy a rice cooker. In fact please just do that. It costs like $30 and your whole family will be better for it. :)