Is the bean dish supposed to be more like soup or chili? I tried it out, and it was rather soupy. Maybe I added too much broth. What portions did you use for the canned tomatoes, beans, and broth?
I make it more like a chili. Just enough broth that the beans cook properly. I use a single 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes. Right now I’m using 8 oz of dried beans, but I may increase that in the future. I don’t know how much broth I use, because I don’t measure it. I just add enough so that there’s not much soup after the beans absorb the liquids. Freeze any vegetable broth you have left over (perhaps in an ice cube tray) because otherwise it’ll go bad quickly.
Since you’re trying to replicate this, here are some more details:
One of the most important things to getting this dish to taste good is buying good quality beans. Rancho Gordo sells quality beans. I especially recommend Ayocote Negro Beans. [Note: the original post incorrectly said “black beans” instead of just “beans”.]
As for spices, I’m currently using cumin seeds, tumeric, mustard seeds, coriander, black peppercorns (pepper seeds), a single clove, 2 bay leaves, paprika, fenugreek seeds, and thyme—all of which should be bought in bulk by weight to save on costs (don’t buy it in those plastic or glass containers). Using this many spices is extremely ahistorical but I don’t care. The spices probably have a mild health benefit, but they’re mostly there for flavor. I buy the clove and seeds whole and grind them in a motar and pestile because it’s fun to roleplay an apothecary. I sometimes add basil and oregano at the end too.
Add salt to taste, but no lemon juice, lime juice or vinegar. You can get the sour flavor from a large side of saurkraut (with is ridiculously cheap and healthy if you make it yourself) instead. Peasants across Eurasia ate a ton of fermented cabbage.
I also use two seranno chili peppers. [In the original recipe I forgot to mention peppers. I have fixed this.]
That said, one great thing about this recipe is that practically everything about it is super forgiving. Want to add a potato? Sure. Want to double the tomatoes? That’s fine too. Want to triple the garic and ginger? Garlic is great and it’s very difficult to add too much garlic. Want to switch out the chili peppers? Whatever. Did you simmer it for an extra 5 minutes? It’ll probably be fine.
Also, here are a couple of very important warnings:
I’m not just eating beans. They’re just my staple, around which everything is built. Make sure to get your B₁₂ vitamins.
Switching from a modern diet to one line this that has a low glycemic index will crash your energy for the first 2-3 weeks. This is because your body is relying on carbs, but hasn’t yet switched over to burning fat. After that, your energy levels will decouple from your meals (in a good way) and it may feel like you’re 10 years younger in terms of not-tiredness. Full adaptation takes 3-6 months.
Thank you for the more detailed recipe! I’m not going to switch to only eating this meal (don’t worry about my vitamin intake!). It’s just something I plan to add to my rotation because it’s easy to make and healthy.
Is the bean dish supposed to be more like soup or chili? I tried it out, and it was rather soupy. Maybe I added too much broth. What portions did you use for the canned tomatoes, beans, and broth?
I make it more like a chili. Just enough broth that the beans cook properly. I use a single 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes. Right now I’m using 8 oz of dried beans, but I may increase that in the future. I don’t know how much broth I use, because I don’t measure it. I just add enough so that there’s not much soup after the beans absorb the liquids. Freeze any vegetable broth you have left over (perhaps in an ice cube tray) because otherwise it’ll go bad quickly.
Since you’re trying to replicate this, here are some more details:
One of the most important things to getting this dish to taste good is buying good quality beans. Rancho Gordo sells quality beans. I especially recommend Ayocote Negro Beans. [Note: the original post incorrectly said “black beans” instead of just “beans”.]
As for spices, I’m currently using cumin seeds, tumeric, mustard seeds, coriander, black peppercorns (pepper seeds), a single clove, 2 bay leaves, paprika, fenugreek seeds, and thyme—all of which should be bought in bulk by weight to save on costs (don’t buy it in those plastic or glass containers). Using this many spices is extremely ahistorical but I don’t care. The spices probably have a mild health benefit, but they’re mostly there for flavor. I buy the clove and seeds whole and grind them in a motar and pestile because it’s fun to roleplay an apothecary. I sometimes add basil and oregano at the end too.
Add salt to taste, but no lemon juice, lime juice or vinegar. You can get the sour flavor from a large side of saurkraut (with is ridiculously cheap and healthy if you make it yourself) instead. Peasants across Eurasia ate a ton of fermented cabbage.
I also use two seranno chili peppers. [In the original recipe I forgot to mention peppers. I have fixed this.]
That said, one great thing about this recipe is that practically everything about it is super forgiving. Want to add a potato? Sure. Want to double the tomatoes? That’s fine too. Want to triple the garic and ginger? Garlic is great and it’s very difficult to add too much garlic. Want to switch out the chili peppers? Whatever. Did you simmer it for an extra 5 minutes? It’ll probably be fine.
Also, here are a couple of very important warnings:
I’m not just eating beans. They’re just my staple, around which everything is built. Make sure to get your B₁₂ vitamins.
Switching from a modern diet to one line this that has a low glycemic index will crash your energy for the first 2-3 weeks. This is because your body is relying on carbs, but hasn’t yet switched over to burning fat. After that, your energy levels will decouple from your meals (in a good way) and it may feel like you’re 10 years younger in terms of not-tiredness. Full adaptation takes 3-6 months.
Thank you for the more detailed recipe! I’m not going to switch to only eating this meal (don’t worry about my vitamin intake!). It’s just something I plan to add to my rotation because it’s easy to make and healthy.