This Mixed Beans Masala Bowl is brimming over with health and flavor. The beans masala, sweet potatoes and turmeric rice have no added oils and they are easy enough to put together with a few pantry spices and ingredients. A vegan, gluten-free and soy-free recipe.
This is the kind of food I live for. Or would die for.
The mixed beans masala is an extraordinarily simple recipe, and I had some fun with it by adding to it almost every kind of bean I had in my pantry. There are kidney beans here and black beans and green and red mung beans, and great northern beans, and navy beans and pink beans and pinto beans and black-eyed peas. You could go with all of these, or use your own mix, or even one of those pre-made bean mixes you can buy off the shelf at a store like Whole Foods. You can also just use one or two kinds of beans, or add lentils into the mix, if you have a mind to.
Have I told you how much I love bowls? And making them? It’s rather fun to try and figure out what flavors will go together, and with a spicy bean masala, sweet potatoes are almost a no-brainer, because they complement each other so perfectly.
The sweet potatoes are really simple to make: all you do is simmer them with some stock, garam masala, and orange juice, and they turn into deliciousness itself.
I have shared with you a turmeric rice recipe before, but this one is a bit different– a little more complex, if you will. For one, this turmeric rice is entirely fat-free. I also added some cumin and whole spices to it to add tons of flavor.
It is a great idea to use vegetable stock or broth when you make Indian foods without added oils, because the broth really makes up for any loss in flavor from leaving out the oil. You can try a great homemade stock, like this vegetable stock that I love and use all the time, or use a low-sodium stock or broth from the store.
I’ll stop with the chatting now and get on with this recipe– or three recipes. Enjoy, all!
Mixed Beans Bowl with Sweet Potatoes and Turmeric Rice
This Mixed Beans Masala Bowl is brimming over with health and flavor. The beans masala, and the accompanying sweet potatoes and turmeric rice, have no added fats or oils and they are easy enough to put together with a few pantry spices and ingredients.
Ingredients
For Mixed Beans Masala:
- 1 1/2 cups dry beans (any kind is fine. I used a mix of red and green mung beans, red kidney beans, black beans, pink beans, pinto beans, and black-eyed peas (soak the beans for at least six hours, then drain, cover with water, and cook until tender, about 60-90 minutes. A pressure cooker or instant pot will help you do this much faster. Follow manufacturer directions on cooking beans)
- 3-4 cups (approx) vegetable stock or broth
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed into a paste
- 1-inch piece ginger, finely grated
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- Salt to taste
- Coriander leaves, chopped, for garnish
For Sweet Potato Stir-Fry:
- 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup vegetable stock or broth
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- Ground black pepper and salt to taste
For Turmeric Rice:
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, like Basmati, rinsed
- 3 cups vegetable stock or broth
- 3 cloves
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 2 dry bay leaves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Make the mixed beans masala:
In a large saucepan, place 1/4 cup of vegetable stock and bring it to a simmer. Add the onions, ginger and garlic, season with some salt and black pepper, and saute over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the onions turn soft.
Add the tomatoes with the turmeric, paprika, cayenne, and garam masala. Stir to mix and let the mixture come to a boil. Let it continue to cook about five minutes, stirring a few times.
Add the beans and about two cups of the cooking liquid, if you have any. Otherwise, add vegetable stock/broth. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer, and let the beans masala cook for another 10 minutes. If it starts to get dry, add more stock.
Season with salt if needed. Turn off the heat and garnish with coriander leaves.
Make the sweet potatoes:
In a wok or a large skillet, place the vegetable stock and sweet potatoes. Turn on the heat and let the liquid come to a simmer.
Add the orange juice and garam masala and ground black pepper. Mix, cover, and let the sweet potatoes cook for about 8-10 minutes or until tender, over medium heat. Stir the sweet potatoes gently so as to not mash them. Check once or twice during cooking to make sure they are not sticking to the bottom-- if they are, add more stock, a tablepoon at a time.
Season with salt as needed.
Make the turmeric rice:
Place the stock in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the turmeric, cumin seeds, bay leaves, cloves, and cardamom (use the whole pods).
Once the water boils, add the rice. Bring back to a boil, cover, and let the rice cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Let it stand undisturbed for at least 10 more minutes after turning off the heat. Then open and fluff with fork before serving.
Layer the rice, sweet potatoes, and beans masala in a bowl while still hot, and enjoy!
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More bowl-some meals:
Curried Chickpeas Bowl with Turmeric Rice and Swiss Chard
Soba Noodles Bowl with Spinach and Tofu
For Turmeric Rice directions, you never mention when to add the cardamon pods. Do you break the pods open and use just the inside and throw away the shell, or just put the whole pod in the rice? When do you add it. Also the directions say to add cinnamon to the rice. But cinnamon is not listed in the ingredients. Please clarify. Thank you.
Sorry, it should have read cardamom instead of cinnamon. And use the whole pod, no need to peel. You can discard the whole spices after cooking, if you wish.