Curried Pink Beans with Dill

My Curried Pink Beans with Dill are a delicious and nutritious weekday dinner treat.

Pink beans have a sweet, nutty flavor and look absolutely gorgeous in any prepared dish. Last night, feeling just a little bored with the idea of cooking, I went foraging in my pantry hoping to find something interesting. I did. I found these jewel-like legumes and immediately I was excited again.

The pink beans cooked up pretty fast in my pressure cooker, even with a minimum of soaking, and they looked just perfect. Because I didn't have enough time to give them a leisurely soak, I used a trick I learned a while ago: cover the beans in water, bring it to a boil, turn it off, and let it sit for about an hour. Then cook them as you usually would, preferably in a pressure cooker which cuts the cooking time substantially.

I used half a red habanero pepper in this recipe: this might be a little too spicy for some, so I'd advise using less if you cannot tolerate much heat. Habaneros are among the spiciest peppers to be found, but they also have an amazing, haunting flavor that clings delectably to your tastebuds.

On a whim I decided to throw in some dill at the very end. I love cooking with dill, and always have this herb handy. It turned out to be a great addition, contributing yet more depth to the already flavorful sauce.

The curried beans taste great with brown rice, but you can also have them with chapatis or rotis or even by themselves, like a soup.

Curried Pink Beans with Dill

Ingredients:
1 cup pink beans, cooked until tender with about 1 tsp of salt

1 medium red onion, sliced very thinly

4-5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 red habanero pepper, chopped finely (wash hands thoroughly after handling!)

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)

1/2 cup dill, finely chopped

1 tbsp canola oil

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sugar and stir for a minute. Turn the heat to medium-low and let the onions caramelize, about 10 minutes.

Add the chopped habanero pepper and garlic. Cook for about five minutes. By now the onions should be fairly brown and the garlic would have taken a golden hue.

Add the tomato, turmeric if using, and cumin and coriander powders. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the oil begins to separate.

Add the beans and stir to mix. Add salt to taste.

Allow the beans to simmer for about 10 minutes until the flavors have merged.

Add the chopped dill and turn off the heat.

Serve hot!