Dish of South African Bean Curry
(click to enlarge)

Bean Curry for Bunny


South Africa   -   Bean Curry
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2.2 #
***
55 min
Best		 Curries of this sort are made in the Indian communities of Durban, South Africa, for use as vegetarian filler for Bunny Chow, which was originally vegetarian. See also Comments.

14oz
9
7
3
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1
7
2
1
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2
1/2
1/2
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2
1
1/2
8
can
oz
oz
cl
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t

in

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t
t
t
----
T
c
t
oz
Butter Beans (1)
Potatoes (2)
Onions
Garlic
-- Whole Spices
Cumin Seeds
Curry Leaves (3)
Cinnamon Stick
Bay Leaf
-- Seasonings
Curry Powder (4)
Turmeric
Garam Masala (5)  
-- Finish
Oil
Water
Salt
Tomato Sauce (6)
PREP   -   (17 min)
  1. Peel POTATOES and cut into about 3/4 inch cubes. Hold in cold water until needed.
  2. Quarter ONIONS lengthwise and slice thin crosswise.
  3. Crush GARLIC and chop small. Mix with Cumin Seeds and Curry Leaves.
  4. Mix Curry Powder with Turmeric.
RUN   -   (30 min)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan, heat OIL. Stir in Onions, Cinnamon Stick and Bay Leaf. Fry stirring until Onions are translucent.
  2. Stir in Garlic Mix and Curry Powder mix. Fry stirring for another 2 minutes.
  3. Drain Potatoes and stir in along with Water. Bring to a boil and simmer covered until Potatoes are nearly done.
  4. Drain Butter Beans and stir in along with Tomato Sauce, Garam Masala, and Salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for another 5 minutes or until Potatoes are fully cooked.
  5. Check there is adequate liquid to soak into the Beans Bunny bread, and keep fairly hot for filling
NOTES:

  1. Butter Beans

      These are very large Lima Beans of a light colored variety. They are available canned (Goya brand around here) and dry. You can soak dried overnight in lightly salted water, then cook until just done, but success depends on quality of the beans, which is variable. Canned are more convenient and reliable.

  2. Potatoes:

      White Rose or similar work well in recipes of this sort. Red potatoes will thicken the curry more, if desired. Avoid Klondike Gold type potatoes - they turn to mush if cooked a little more than the minimum. For details see our Potatoes page.

  3. Curry Leaves:

      These fresh leaves are necessary for the true flavor of southern India, and are now reasonably available in Indian and Southeast Asian markets, at least here in California. Dried ones aren't of much use (unless you force dried them yourself within a couple weeks). If you don't have them you will have to leave them out - there is no acceptable substitute. Use caution with how many you use, because some people don't like the resinous taste. For details see our Curry Leaves page.

  4. Curry Powder

      The region having been under English rule for some time, a Madras Curry Powder is appropriate. Ship and Sun are good brands, but our recipe Madras Curry Powder is even better.

  5. Garam Masala:

      This is a "standard" spice mix, but varies a lot from region to region, and some from one household to another within the regions. Here is a recipe for a typical Garam Masala mix for the cuisines of northern India.

  6. Tomato Sauce:

      This will give better flavor than whole Tomatoes. Use a very simple tomato sauce. My favorite is Faraon Spanish Style, which comes in convenient 8 ounce cans. Other simple sauces will also work - even Goya Spanish Style, if you aren't still boycotting them for enthusiastically endorsing Trump.

  7. Comments:

      The Indian community in South Africa has used vegetarian Bean Curries to fill Bunny Chow loaves since their origin, about 1940. These have been largely supplanted by meat curries, but versions made with beans, now called "Beans Bunny", are still common. I doubt the beans originally used were canned Butter Beans, but those seem to be favored in South African recipes today. This curry will also work just fine with roti or rice.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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