My Curried Pink Beans with Dill are a delicious and nutritious weekday dinner treat.
Pink beans have a sweet, nutty flavor and look absolutely gorgeous in any prepared dish. Last night, feeling just a little bored with the idea of cooking, I went foraging in my pantry hoping to find something interesting. I did. I found these jewel-like legumes and immediately I was excited again.
The pink beans cooked up pretty fast in my pressure cooker, even with a minimum of soaking, and they looked just perfect. Because I didn’t have enough time to give them a leisurely soak, I used a trick I learned a while ago: cover the beans in water, bring it to a boil, turn it off, and let it sit for about an hour. Then cook them as you usually would, preferably in a pressure cooker which cuts the cooking time substantially.
I used half a red habanero pepper in this recipe: this might be a little too spicy for some, so I’d advise using less if you cannot tolerate much heat. Habaneros are among the spiciest peppers to be found, but they also have an amazing, haunting flavor that clings delectably to your tastebuds.
On a whim I decided to throw in some dill at the very end. I love cooking with dill, and always have this herb handy. It turned out to be a great addition, contributing yet more depth to the already flavorful sauce.
The curried beans taste great with brown rice, but you can also have them with chapatis or rotis or even by themselves, like a soup.
Curried Pink Beans with Dill
Ingredients
- 1 cup pink beans , cooked until tender with about 1 tsp of salt
- 1 medium red onion , sliced very thinly
- 4-5 cloves of garlic , thinly sliced
- 1/2 red habanero pepper , chopped finely (wash hands thoroughly after handling!)
- 1 medium tomato , chopped
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)
- 1/2 cup dill , finely chopped
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sugar and stir for a minute. Turn the heat to medium-low and let the onions caramelize, about 10 minutes.
- Add the chopped habanero pepper and garlic. Cook for about five minutes. By now the onions should be fairly brown and the garlic would have taken a golden hue.
- Add the tomato, turmeric if using, and cumin and coriander powders. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the oil begins to separate.
- Add the beans and stir to mix. Add salt to taste.
- Allow the beans to simmer for about 10 minutes until the flavors have merged.
- Add the chopped dill and turn off the heat.
- Serve hot!
Suganya says
March 7, 2008 atThank heavens, its only 1/2. I thought you used all 3 habaneros shown in the pic.
bee says
March 7, 2008 atare pink beans the same as pinto beans?
TBC says
March 7, 2008 atoh the beans look so pretty! I’ve never seen or cooked these.
The link takes me to a hot pink bean bag!:-(
Carol says
March 7, 2008 atyet another beautiful (and easy) recipe) – thank you! you can be sure I will try this.
Vaishali says
March 7, 2008 atSuganya, 🙂 That would be a killer! I was tempted to use the picture with all three because I love the jewel-like colors of the habaneros.
Bee, Pink beans are different from pinto beans- they are not speckled and are a beautiful pale pink whereas pintos are more beige. I usually find them at my local Whole Foods.
TBC, They certainly are the prettiest beans! I would strongly recommend you try them for their wonderful, robust flavor and delicious, creamy texture.
What link are you referring to…?
Carol, Thank you! I hope you like it.
Anke says
March 7, 2008 atthe color of the beans is absolutely amazing. are these widely available or are these an Indian specialty? and just hearing the word dill makes my mouth water: dill is my one of my favorite herbs 🙂
Lavi says
March 7, 2008 atCurry looks perfect..habaneros is something new to me..thanks for sharing.
Uma says
March 7, 2008 atWow, another wonderful creation from you. Looks so yummy and healthy!
Dhivya says
March 7, 2008 atlooks so yummy and delicious..healthy too..
Vaishali says
March 7, 2008 atAnke, I don’t think we use pink beans for cooking in India- at least I didn’t. I first tasted them here, in the U.S. You could easily substitute other beans, like red or black or pinto, in this recipe.
Lavi, thanks! Habaneros are widely used in South American cooking. They’re really delicious.
Uma, Dhivya, Thanks!
Meera says
March 7, 2008 atPink beans are something new to me. Can I ask you a silly question? Do they go by this name pink beans in the supermarket? I mean to say they are different than pinto beans or lighter shade of kidney beans, right?
Thanks for introducing new beans. looks wonderful. pairing with dill is such a great idea.
Vaishali says
March 8, 2008 atHi Meera, I am pretty certain they are called just pink beans. I also remember they are sold by Goya. They are definitely different from pinto and rajma beans- they are pinker, smaller and more rounded. Hope that helps 🙂
Happy cook says
March 8, 2008 atLove the bean dish and the addition of dill
Bur never heard about the pink beans
ChocolateCoveredVegan says
March 8, 2008 atLooks delicious– I want to come to your home for dinner ;o)
Vani says
March 14, 2008 atThat looks lovely! Dill adds such a unique flavor to dishes, doesn’t it? First time here. Love your cat too!
Vaishali says
March 14, 2008 atHappy Cook- Thanks. They’re usually available in most supermarkets.
Chocolatecoveredvegan: you are welcome anytime 🙂
Vani, welcome. Dill is definitely one of my favorite herbs!
I says
June 11, 2016 atCan i pressure cook them? How many whistles?
Thanks.
Vaishali says
June 13, 2016 atHi I, the pressure cooker I use doesn’t have a “whistle.” Usually, I cook all beans that have been soaked overnight for about 10 minutes after the cooker reaches pressure.
Amber Nicole Cannan says
January 26, 2019 atUmm, I’m making this and don’t understand where your liquid came from. How much liquid did you cook your pink beans with at the start?
Vaishali says
January 26, 2019 atAlways cook dry beans in water. Cover with a couple of inches of water, bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and cook about an hour. Pressure cooking is much faster.