Revised 11/13/10
Hi Jenni and Charisma! This is one of the easiest dishes to prepare or pronounce that I make (Fa SOOL yah Bey THAH). It means "white beans" in English. There are many variations on this soupy, rich and flavorful curry, depending upon who you are and where you're from, but this is how we do it around here. It's really simple to throw together, and has so few ingredients; it just works for us. Each time I whip this up, the Scientist insists it's the best I've ever made...ever (but I swear I stick to this formula)!
P.S. Someday I'll replace this awful photo. Ahem.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups dry great northern beans
1 quart water, more if needed
3 Tbsp. salt
6-8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin removed
1-2 quarts of water, more as needed
1/2 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
2-3 heaping Tablespoons madras curry, to taste (lately we love Rajah brand, mild, and no, they don't sponsor me!)
1 can tomato sauce, plus an optional 1-2 Tbsp. tomato paste, if desired
optional:
1/8 tsp. black pepper, or to taste
1-3 dashes cayenne pepper, to taste
1/2 white or vidalia onion, cut in 1 inch wedges
Preparation
Soak beans overnight in water with 3 Tbsp. salt. The next day, rinse the beans well, then cook in fresh water.
Bring water and beans to a boil over high heat in a 6 quart minimum pot. Reduce heat to medium high and boil until soft and fully cooked, approximately 45 minutes. Add water if necessary to keep beans from cooking dry.
When beans are tender, add salt, curry powder and chicken, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes or so, until chicken is cooked through. Add tomato sauce and simmer 10 more minutes. Add water if the levels gets too low.
Serving SuggestionServe over basmati rice, being sure to dish out a piece of chicken, soupy sauce and plenty of beans for everyone. By the time it's served the beans should be a beautiful golden color. And this looked crazy the first time I saw it, but it's great...put raw white or vidalia onion on the table, cut in thick wedges, and take a nibble (or chunk) with each bite of curried goodness. Beware, lovers and friends, this is potent stuff. You can always skip the onion, but it's soooooooo good!
I used to insist on using only Ship brand Madras curry powder, but alas, for some reason, it has become all but impossible to find. Now we use whatever brand we have on hand, but we're on the lookout for a new favorite.
10 comments:
Jenni & Charisma here...
We are excited to try this at home! Thank you for the lovely can of "Ship" - we feel quite exotic just holding the can in our hands. By the by, do you know anything about foule?
Hi ladies! Just consider this post as part of your care package. :o) About foule (fool, foul...), I like it, and have made it, and there are so many versions. But I haven't made one i didn't like, so...I just use a can of beans with cumin that I get from the middle eastern market and add parsley, onion, sometimes garlic, cayenne, tomatoes, good extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. It's good warm for breakfast, with pita and lebne, and with a soupy broth for lunch or dinner. Sami and I had it in Spain when we were tired of Spanish food and both kind of sick, too. Wow, it made us so happy! I think I'll have to think about and post foul on this blog, too. Yum.
Have fun...I miss you both!
xoxoxo
Dude, I hope it was from Sami's left hand.
Marc
Yes, thankfully it was. He's recovering nicely, but as much as he loves his beans, he's not sure the sacrifice is worth it. Not sure the public is ready for it, either.
Hooray....
another yummy recipe!!
I'll let you know how we like it...but probably not 'til fall!
Carrol
Hey you Queen Q! This is a great recipe for fall and winter...it's hot and soupy and goes great on a rainy day. I'm including a link for where one can buy Ship brand madras curry in case it can't be found in Chico...I looked, with no success, but that was 4 years ago when the Scientist wanted to make this for my parents...we ended up with grocery store curry and it was edible, but not sublime. Hehehe.
I will say that if you can find it in Chico, please tell me, b/c it's something that I used to give my parents when we lived in Burbank and it was readily available. I just don't understand why it's so hard to find here! Grrr.
Love you!
http://www.amazon.com/Ship-Madras-Curry-Powder-16-6oz/dp/B000PV3RMW
Just made this tonight...thanks for this blog!
Just made this! Thx for this blog!
This is great! I can't wait to try this. Gluten free, healthy, and comforting!
Kristen, thanks for the comment! It really is comforting, and I'll be making this soon...it really is a family favorite.
I will update this post to reflect the fact that we now use Rajah brand mild madras curry (no, they don't pay me to say that!)...haven't been able to find Ship for a few years now, but we love Rajah!
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