Njahi in Coconut Sauce (Kenyan Black Beans in Coconut Sauce)
Njahi in Coconut Sauce (Kenyan Black Beans in Coconut Sauce) is a traditional Kenyan recipe for a classic dish of the local black beans (njahi) served in a coconut milk based sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Kenyan version of: Kenyan Black Beans in Coconut Sauce (Njahi in Coconut Sauce).
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
The njahi bean, scientifically, Lablab purpureus the hyacinth bean is a black bean with a white stripe running down its middle. It tastes wonderful, is a good source of insoluble fibre
Ingredients:
370g njahi beans
coarse sea salt, to taste
4 tbsp neutral oil such as avocado oil (plus more if needed)
1/2 medium red onion (about 150g), finely diced
1/2 large green bell pepper, stemmed, de-seeded, and finely diced
6 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 spring onions, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
3cm length of ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp tomato purée
2 tsp garam masala
1 hot chilli, stemmed, de-seeded, and minced
1 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
4 tbsp coarsely chopped coriander leaves and tender stems
Method:
In a large bowl, combine the beans with 2 tbsp salt. Cover with about 1l water and set aside to soak at room temperature until beans swell (about 8 hours or over-night). Once the beans have soaked fully, they will turn from black to dark brown.
Drain the beans and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Transfer the beans to a large pot or Dutch oven, and cover with at least 5cm fresh water. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook the beans at a hard boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 4 hours (our tests revealed a wide range of cooking times for the njahi beans, likely dependent on source and age). Skim any scum that accumulates on the surface. Keep an eye on the water level, adding more water if it gets too low.
Strain the beans, reserving at least 500ml of the cooking liquid. Lightly wash pot.
In the same pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until fragrant and shimmering. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until the onions have softened (about 4 minutes). Add the garlic, spring onions, ginger, and cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until fragrant (about 2 minutes).
Stir in the tomato purée, garam masala, jalapeño, paprika, ground turmeric, and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook until the tomato purée darkens (about 2 minutes). Slowly stir in the coconut milk until well combined. Add the cooked beans and 1 cup (235ml) of the reserved cooking liquid. Season generously with salt. Bring to a simmer, lowering heat to maintain simmer, and cook, uncovered, until beans are suspended in a creamy sauce, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove from heat, stir in the coriander, and serve.
Njahi beans can be purchased online or at specialty grocery. If you can't find njahi beans, you can substitute black beans, but reduce the bean cooking liquid added in Step 7 to 120ml, adding additional bean cooking liquid a few tablespoons at a time only if the stew becomes too thick (this is because black beans can produce a thinner stock than njahi beans, and thus usually require less liquid to reach the final creamy consistency).
)
