A delicious recipe for a Curried Azuki Bean Dip that's vegan, fat-free and gluten-free. Curry powder and sundried tomatoes give this dip the perfect yin and yang.
February, like all cold months, is when my kitchen sees a lot of me. Perhaps because it's the warmest, coziest place in the house. Perhaps because there's never a better time to bake bread, one of my favorite things to do.
I love my beans and lentils and this February, in my kitchen, I have invited some new legume friends and some old and I am looking forward to eating them one by one.
On a recent trip to my local Asian store I picked up a bag of brilliant red Azuki beans (bottom left) which I had never cooked with before. Then I found a bag of red mung beans (top right) at my Indian grocery store -- again a bean I have never cooked with, although green mung beans are a staple in my pantry. Also from the Indian store came the green chana -- green garbanzo beans (bottom right) that I remember seeing my mom use back in India. And finally, from Whole Foods, came an old favorite-- French puy lentils whose peppery taste goes perfectly with just about any Indian dal recipe. They are particularly good in this Ginger Infused Cauliflower Dal.
In my kitchen I have revived my sourdough starter which had been sitting around, neglected, for months. But sourdough starter is hardy stuff and with some attention it is possible to coax it back to good health. Mine is now back and bubbling away in its jar and in this batch of dough for a high-hydration whole wheat sandwich bread I am testing out (if the recipe works, I promise to share it).
In my kitchen this month are fresh, healthy vegetables that I cannot wait to cook up. The Yu Choy (right), which I found at the Asian grocery store, is a new leafy for me. It is a variety of Chinese broccoli with thinner stems and since Desi and I love broccoli I am really looking forward to making something wonderful with it. Also in my kitchen this month is my favorite leafy vegetable-- one I usually can only find in the Indian store: Methi or Fenugreek leaves (left). This pleasantly bitter vegetable is eaten all over India not just for its amazing flavor but also its health properties -- it is said to lower blood sugar and cholesterol and is quite the wonder veggie. It's also a versatile veggie that you can cook up in a Baingan Methi Subzi or in this Railway Mushroom Curry, which I love. But I love it most in Methi Chaman, a brilliant green preparation that goes beautifully with rotis, Indian style flatbreads.
Another wonder veggie waiting to be devoured in my kitchen -- also an Indian favorite-- is the bitter gourd or karela. Bitter gourds, warty and very bitter in taste, can be intimidating to someone not used to them but like methi leaves they possess amazing, health-giving qualities. Desi and I love karela-- he more than me -- and one of our favorite ways to eat Karela is this stuffed karela recipe. At the Indian store I also picked up these little globular eggplants-- one of my favorite veggies ever.
In my kitchen I just cooked up those wonderful Azuki beans into a Curried Azuki Bean dip. I wanted to try a different sort of dip for my Superbowl evening, one that was healthy and fat-free, and I think I got a winner with this one. I added some smoky garam masala and some sundried tomatoes and they gave the dip the perfect yin and yang.
Related recipes
Azuki Bean Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry Azuki beans, rinsed
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder or curry powder
- 6 sun-dried tomatoes (you can use the oil-packed ones if that's what you have but that would add a small amount of fat to the recipe)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, use more or less to your taste
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ cup packed parsley leaves
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the beans in a saucepan, add enough water to cover the beans by an inch, and bring to a boil. Once the water boils, cover with a lid, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook 45 minutes to an hour or until the beans are tender. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
- Drain the beans once they've cooled and add them to a food processor or blender along with the remaining ingredients. Blend well. I like some texture but you can make this dip smoother by blending it longer, if you wish.
- Garnish the dip with some red pepper flakes. Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips or crudites.
harpersfaerie
I just made it, as specified; it is excellent, and didn't need much salt. I used a pinch
Dianne
Hi, Have just watched a Jamie Oliver programe and he was doing Indian foods. As a Diabetic with Blood sugars and Colesteral probs I saw a veg. that helps in the lowering of both conditions. Could you tell me what they were and if possible, do you think they would be available in New Zealand. We live in a small town so may need to go into the city to purchase. Thank you
Vaishali
What did it look like? There are many Indian vegetables that have cholesterol and diabetes fighting properties, and the two that come rightaway to mind are bitter melon (karela) and fenugreek leaves (methi). Karela is warty and bumpy and dark green, methi leaves are oval and look just a little like watercress. I am not sure about where you can buy Indian groceries in New Zealand, but safe to say there are usually Indians -- and Indian grocery stores-- in nearly any city in the world.
Sandy
I LOVE LOVE LOVE adzuki beans so definitely going to try this! Thanks for posting the recipe 🙂
Vaishali
Thanks, Sandy, hope you try it. 🙂
Sandy
I LOVE LOVE LOVE adzuki beans so definitely going to try this. Thanks for posting the recipe 🙂
Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
Yum! I'd love to taste your azuki bean dip! And I've never seen green chana before, how intriguing. I've only seen dried chick peas, or the split yellow channa dal. I had methi gota yesterday, and the fenugreek leaves added a delicious flavour to them. Hope the bread went well - your starter certainly looks healthy! 🙂
heidiannie
MMMmm! I like the food in your kitchen. I've never seen green garbanzo beans before- but I have tried the bitter melon. I can't say I loved it on the first try- but it is supposed to be good for diabetics so I'm going to try it again.
Thanks for sharing!
Mints!
This sounds fun. I invariably cook more beans during winter time as very few seasonal vegetables are available in local farmers market. I love Puy lentil sprouts usal.
Adzuki beans and red chowli are same, aren;t they? Try sprouting it and making nice usal. I am sure you will like it 🙂
Vaishali
Hi Mints, I have never before heard of red chowli-- the only chowli I know are black-eyed peas. How interesting that it's the same as azuki beans and is eaten in India. I learn something every moment!
I have had a yen for usal recently so thanks for the idea! 🙂
nancy@jamjnr
Green chickpeas? Never seen those before. Now green hummus would be interesting. I found a bag of lentils when I was clearing out my pantry this month I really need to turn it into dahl.
Vaishali
Green hummus. 🙂 Sounds fun.
Gustoso
Thanks for sharing all your goodies this month.
Francesca
The bean dip looks sensational: perfect for our too hot summer here and healthy too. Thanks for the recipe.
Joanne T Ferguson (@mickeydownunder)
G'day Vaishali! Your dip looks and sounds amazing, true!
It is not on my list and thank you for this month's kitchen view!
Cheers! Joanne
Lily (A Rhubarb Rhapsody)
This dip sounds delicious and healthy! A big portion of my diet consists of legumes but I've yet to try azuki beans, I've heard great things about them but have had trouble tracking them down.
Vaishali
Hi Lily, you should be able to find them at any Asian grocery store. They are often just labeled "red beans". Hope you have a chance to try them! 🙂
Gita Jaishankar
Nice pictures Vaishali, gave the warm and cozy feeling as I was scrolling 🙂 I too love puy lentils and mung beans especially on days like when we need a diversion from the regular dhals. Azuki beans is new to me, never tried it before, your dish looks good 🙂
Vaishali
Thanks, Gita. 🙂 Puy lentils go so well with Indian dishes, don't they, although we don't really eat them in India.
Nupur
Great post, Vaishali. None of these 4 beans are featured in my pantry but I've tasted all except the azuki beans.
Vaishali
Hi Nupur, I am amazed that after all these years I am still discovering new legumes. Incredible, isn't it? 🙂