Easy Red Beans - Delicious in Tacos, Quesadillas and More
Rinse, soak and cook red beans with spices. Cook diced onions with spices until tender and sweet, but still firm in texture. Mix beans, onions and seasonings, along with oil and lime/lemon juice. Set aside for an hour to allow flavors to blend. Warm before serving with tortillas, nacho chips, rice, pasta, etc., along with other toppings like shredded cheese, pickled jalapenos, sour cream, etc. Or, use as a filling in tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, etc. Enjoy!
Equipment
- Pressure cooker preferred for cooking beans; if not available, beans can be cooked in a saucepan on the stove-top, or in a slow cooker. See Recipe Notes for alternate cooking directions.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Small Red beans - dried Rinsed and soaked overnight in 1/2 cup water; cooking directions provided; or use 1 can cooked beans, 15 oz - drain liquid in a colander; if Red beans not available, use light red kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, etc. Note that the cooking times will vary a little bit. The beans should be fully cooked, but firm enough to hold their texture ( should not be mushy).
- 2 leaves Bay leaves- torn into 2-3 pieces divided into 2 portions
- 10-12 whole Peppercorns - divided into 2 portions
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds - divided into 2 portions
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds - divided into 2 portions
- 1 whole Star Anise broken pieces ok too
- 1 cup Onions - medium dice
- 1/2 whole Serrano pepper (optional) - halved, lengthwise if not available, use a different variety medium-hot green chilli; adjust as per spiciness preference
- 2 tsp Mexican Seasoning if not available, see Recipe Notes for alternatives
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt adjust as per preference
- 2 tsp Chilli oil adjust as per preference; See Recipe Notes for how to make chilli oil; or use any edible oil of choice, including extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp Lime/Lemon juice - freshly squeezed preferred if not available, bottled lime/lemon juice OK
- 1-2 cloves Garlic (optional) - finely chopped / minced / grated if not available, 1/8 tsp garlic powder OK
Garnish
- 2 tbsp Cilantro (optional) - washed, towel-dried and chopped also called fresh coriander leaves
- 2 tbsp Green onions (optional) - sliced green tops -(1-2 stalks) scallions OK too
- 1/4 cup Tomatoes (optional) - finely diced
Instructions
- Rinse beans 2-3 times with scrubbing, to remove surface dirt. Soak in 1/2 cup water, covered, overnight.
- Most of the water is absorbed during soaking. It is up to you to decide whether you wish to discard the remaining soaking water or not. I usually do not discard the soaking water, because it has some nutrients that I do not want to lose.However, if you prefer to discard it, drain the beans in a colander, transfer the beans to an insert container for the pressure cooker and add 1/2 cup of fresh water for cooking.If you wish to use the soaking water for cooking, hold the colander over a bowl to collect the soaking water. Transfer the beans to an insert container for the pressure cooker; transfer the drained water to a cup measure and add enough fresh water to make 1/2 cup liquid. Add this to the beans.
- Add the star anise and 1 portion or each of the following: bay leaf, peppercorns, cumin, and fennel; distribute the spices into the cooking liquid; Place the insert container on the rack; add 2 cups water into the outer container. Cook for 15 min at full pressure, allow pressure to release normally.See Recipe Notes for how to cook beans without a pressure cooker.
- Meanwhile, cut the onions and add the remaining spices: bay leaf, peppercorns, cumin, and fennel. Place everything in an pressure cooker insert container.
- After the beans are done, cook the onions for 3 min a full pressure, releasing pressure naturally. The onions should be tender and sweet, but still firm enough to retain its structure (not mushy soft)
- Remove the bay leaf and other spices from the beans and onions; add the cooked onions to the beans
- Add the spices: salt, Mexican Seasoning, cumin powder, lime/lemon juice, Chilli oil, garlic (if using). If you prefer, you can use plain oil instead of Chilli oil. See Recipe Notes for how to make Chilli oil and Mexican Seasoning.
- Mix everything and set aside for about 30 min or longer to allow flavors to blend. Just before serving, warm briefly on the stove-top or in the microwave (about 2 min on hi)
- Serve with nacho chips, cheese, tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, etc.
- Or serve it with warm tortillas and salad... Enjoy!
Notes
Cooking beans without pressure cooker:
In a sauce-pan:- Use a medium-large sauce-pan ( 2 -3 quart/liter)
- Add the pre-soaked beans and 1 cup hot water; add spices as per directions
- Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about an hour or a bit longer, until the beans are fully cooked but not mushy.
- add more hot water as needed to prevent sticking and burning
- Cover and allow to cool slowly to room temp.
- All the beans, spices and 1 1/2 cups of hot water
- Start cooking on hi; it will take 2-3 hours to cook the pre-soaked beans.
If you don't have Mexican Seasoning :
- Make some and keep it handy:
- Recipe is posted on this blog, click on the link
- Use the following seasoning mixture instead:
- 3/4 tsp Guajillo pepper ground (or ground New Mexico chilli pepper, Kashmiri Mirchi, Byadgi Mirchi, or other mildly hot red chilli powder; if using cayenne, use only 1/2 tsp or less
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1/8 tsp freshly crushed black pepper
- 1/8 tsp dried Mexican Oregano (if not available, use Italian Oregano)
Make Chilli Oil at home:
- in a small bowl, place 1 tsp of cayenne, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tbsp edible oil; mix, cover and set aside. In a few hours, the oil will become a deep redand the sediment on the bottom will look dark.
- use Kashmiri Mirchi or Byadgi Mirchi or other red chilli powder with good color and relatively mild spiciness.
- Use to add good color and flavor to various dishes
Storing leftovers:
- Refrigerate leftovers- consume within 2-3 days
- Freeze in shallow container- easier to thaw and reheat.
- will keep for 3-4 weeks, possibly longer
- to thaw, place on countertop for 15-20 min, then microwave on 30% power until thawed, then heat through on medium power, before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 135kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 7gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 300mgPotassium: 490mgFiber: 6gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 727IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!