Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Cooking dried kidney beans
• Part 2 of 2: Dishes with kidney beans
• Tips
• Warnings

Kidney beans, also known as rajma, are a staple of Indian and Western cuisine. The savory red kidney bean can be cooked in soups, chilies and curries, used in salads and rice dishes, and is a protein and vitamin-rich meat alternative, but also tasty on its own. If you want to learn how to properly cook dried kidney beans, you can learn the steps required as well as what to do with it when you're done.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Cooking dried kidney beans

1. Soak dried kidney beans in cold water for 8-12 hours. Dried kidney beans must be soaked in water before cooking and further cooking. For best results, soak the beans overnight in a full pot of cool water at room temperature.
   • It's a good idea to first hand out the beans and rinse them to remove any dust, sediment, or small pebbles that may be left in them. Rinsing in a colander is usually enough.
   • Without thoroughly soaking and cooking the beans first, kidney beans contain phytohaemagglutinin, also known as lectin, which causes an upset stomach. To avoid this, they must be cooked for at least 30 minutes
   • If you don't have time to soak the beans overnight, you can also use a faster method. Bring dry beans to a boil, then turn off the heat and let them soak for about 2-3 hours. Discard the soaking water and then cook the beans as you normally would.
2. Choose a cooking method. Beans are probably most thoroughly cooked by boiling them in a pan of clean water on the stove for a few hours. There are several ways to cook beans, depending on what you have available.
   • Another traditional and fast method is to cook kidney beans in a pressure cooker. Soak the beans as normal, put the lid on the pan, then follow the instructions for your specific pressure cooker.
   • Canned kidney beans do not need to be cooked. You can add them to any recipe that calls for beans without cooking them.
3. Simmer the beans gently for 1-2 hours. After soaking, rinse the beans thoroughly in fresh water and put them in plenty of clean water, submerging them about 5-8 cm. Then put the lid on the pan and bring the water to a boil, after which you immediately turn the heat to low and remove the lid from the pan. Cook the beans over a very low heat. You want the beans in the pan to barely move so that they cook evenly and as well as possible.
   • If you want a creamy pan with beans, cook them with the lid on (but ajar) - if you want firmer beans, leave the lid off the pan.
   • After 45 minutes, check the beans by trying a few (pinch them between your fingers or try one out). After a while they should be soft and creamy. When they have reached the desired consistency, remove the pan from the heat.
   • Stir the beans frequently so that they cook evenly and thoroughly and make sure to keep the beans submerged.
   • Beans cooked over a higher heat will cook, but they will break open very quickly and become more mushy and flourier than beans cooked more slowly and softer. If you want, you can continue cooking the beans for as long as you want to get the texture you want. Mushy beans are great for dips, curries and many other dishes.
4. Periodically scoop the foam off the top of the pan. As you cook the kidney beans, you will notice a gray-red foam starting to appear on the top of the pan. This is the lectin that boils from the beans, and it is best to spoon this off regularly and rinse it in the sink.
5. Add salt and season when the beans are almost soft. It is very important to cook dried beans unsalted otherwise the beans will take much longer to cook and they may not soften at all. While some varieties of beans take longer to cook than others, others (such as garbanzo beans) will never fully cook when cooked in salted water.
   • You can add finely chopped aromatic vegetables at any point in the cooking process. If your recipe calls for onions, garlic, carrots or other vegetables, you can add them at any time to make them softer. If you want the vegetables to be firmer, add them later in the cooking process.
   • It is also common to add a "ham hock" or some kind of pork bone to a pan of beans for extra flavor. This is especially common with rice and beans, described in the next chapter.
6. Strain the water from the cooked beans, if necessary. Beans have a slightly variable cooking time. It is usually common to have to add a little water while the beans are simmering to allow them to cook evenly. This may result in some water remaining when the beans are cooked.
   • The rule of thumb is to add three cups of water for every cup of dry beans you put in the pan. In theory, this should end with a pan of cooked beans without residual water.
   • It is also common to keep most of the liquid in the pan, which can make for a nice gravy. Depending on what you make with the beans, you don't always have to drain them.

Part 2 of 2: Dishes with kidney beans

1. Make red beans with rice. Red beans with rice is a classic Cajun dish that's spicy, hearty, and cheap to make. It's also perfect for all kinds of ingredients, which means it's an easy recipe to adapt to your taste. A basic version goes as follows:
   • Sauté a small red onion, two cloves of garlic, two stalks of celery and a chopped bell pepper in a pan with some olive oil. Stir in about a pound of cooked kidney beans. You can also add these vegetables to the kidney beans during cooking as described above.
   • Add 2.5 cups of water, a cup of white rice and, if desired, a "ham hock". Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, covered, until the rice is tender. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne and chili sauce to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
2. Make a bean salad. With kidney beans you can make an excellent and simple cold salad that works very well as a side dish with any barbecue or when cooking outdoors. After you've pre-cooked kidney beans, try the following bean salad recipe:
   • Mix a cup of kidney beans with a cup of garbanzo beans, a cup of black beans, a cup of chopped bell pepper, and half a cup of chopped green onion.
   • Marinate the beans in three tablespoons of red wine vinegar, two tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of sugar, a teaspoon of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Leave in the fridge overnight, mix well and serve cold.
   • A ready-to-eat oil-based salad dressing can be a great substitute for the vinegar and olive oil, if you prefer. Italian salad dressing goes well with it.
3. Make kidney bean curry. Boil kidney beans and add onions, garlic and other aromatic vegetables as the basis for this delicious and easy Indian recipe. Kidney beans are the main ingredient, often served with roti or other flat breads. After cooking the kidney beans in a separate pan, do the following:
   • Sauté a white onion, three cloves of garlic and a piece of grated ginger in some ghee or butter. Add to this three small chopped tomatoes, a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a tablespoon of ground coriander, half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and a teaspoon of red chili powder.
   • Immediately put your kidney beans in the tomato base. Add 2-3 cups of water or use the liquid from the cooked beans to thicken it. Cook over low heat, without a lid, for 30-40 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of garam masala. Serve with rice, roti or naan, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro and lime.
4. Make chili. A well-known recipe in the United States that uses kidney beans is chili. Whatever chili recipe you prefer, kidney beans make a wonderful addition (except in Texas, where they turn their nose to it). For a simple chili, do the following:
   • Brown a pound of lean ground beef in a pan, add a white onion, three cloves of minced garlic and 3-4 tablespoons of red chili powder. Cover with 3-4 cups of water and add two cups of cooked kidney beans. Simmer on low, uncovered, for 1-2 hours. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.
   • Other good additions include garbanzos, black beans, corn, and macaroni. Chili goes well with tortillas, cornbread and baked potatoes.
5. Make a bean soup. Vegetable soup can be made more interesting with kidney beans. If you want to make dinner to tidy up your fridge, a vegetable soup is a great option, and one you can spruce up with a variety of ingredients. For a basic version, try the following:
   • In a pan, sauté a finely chopped onion and some garlic in olive oil. Add 1-2 chopped carrots and a cup of potato. Add 2-3 cups of chicken / vegetable stock or water and let it simmer slowly. Add the vegetables you have on hand: canned, frozen, or fresh green beans, corn, and a cup of kidney beans. Season with chopped basil, salt and pepper.
6. Eat them as a side dish. Salted and seasoned with a little cayenne pepper, kidney beans make a nice side dish in their own right. Kidney beans are high in vitamin C, folic acid, fiber, potassium and protein.
   • Do you need a quick meal? Then boil some beans and make a pan with corn cake. Easy and tasty.

Tips

• Kidney beans are very tasty in nachos.

Warnings

• It is very important to soak the beans well before cooking to prevent intestinal complaints. Don't try to cook and eat dry beans without soaking them and changing the water.