March: Kidney Bean Stew
Serves 4
Estimated time for preparation and cooking: 1 hour
This hearty bean stew is perfect for both cold and warm days according to this Afghan young person, who cooks the dish occasionally at the Croydon Advice and Support Hub. He loves to cook whilst chatting with his friends, and he felt cooking was a great way to share his skills.
Ingredients
Kidney Bean Stew
2 cans of red kidney beans
1 medium onion
1 can of chopped tomato or 3 fresh tomatoes
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic
Sides
1 iceberg lettuce
1 lemon
1 cucumber
3 tomatoes
Pomegranate molasses
4 small naan bread
Dhoog (Afghan yoghurt drink)
1 pot of full fat / Greek yogurt
1.5 cups of cold water
Fresh mint
1 cucumber
Salt
Recipe
1) Preparing the stew
a. Peel the onions and slice into strips. If using fresh tomatoes, chop these into cubes. Mince two cloves of garlic.
b. Add two tablespoons of sunflower oil to the saucepan and once sizzling, add the onions until they are slightly soft.
c. Add the can/s of red kidney beans and its water content into the saucepan. Also add your chopped tomatoes.
d. Add a tablespoon of salt, a teaspoon of ground black pepper and your garlic.
e. Mix the ingredients together and simmer for 20 minutes. Feel free to taste so you can add more salt, pepper or garlic if you need to.
2. Preparing the dhoog
a. Chop half a cucumber into quarters.
b. Remove the stalks from your mint leaves and chop the leaves into fine pieces.
c. Mix a full pot of Greek yoghurt or alternative full fat yoghurt with 1.5 cups of cold water to create yoghurt milk.
c. Add the chopped cucumbers and mint to the yoghurt milk and mix.
d. Add your desired amount of salt (1 teaspoon recommended) and mix in. Taste before adding any more salt. Once you’re happy with the taste, serve in a glass to drink from.
3) Preparing the salad
a. Chop your desired amount of cucumber and tomatoes into quarters.
b. Cut up the lettuce.
c. Add the lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes to the bowl, and mix in a dash of salt and pomegranate molasses.
Enjoy your meal!