Sweet plantain and black bean bowl, it’s vegan ,hearty, Â spicy and oh so delicious. Part of me says I should feel guilty for pan frying, part of me says it’s the best way to treat plantains this ripe. It is worth every bite!
In case you haven’t noticed I love beans! Black, pinto , kidney , navy you name it. There is always a bag of dried beans of some sort ready to be boiled for future use. There are weekends where I dedicate a part of my day to cooking beans . Lets call it bean prep time. And no it’s not time consuming at all, it’s probably the least time consuming thing you can do, especially if you have a crock pot or pressure cooker.
All you do is wash, transfer into a crockpot or pressure cooker, add water, salt and cook on high for about 5 hours or 27 minutes if using a pressure cooker. After beans are soft to your liking, strain with a colander and rinse under cold water. Next pack 3 cups each in a zip lock bag and freeze for future use (depends on family size, this feeds a family of four). Much more satisfying and tasty . Adequately salted and cooked to perfection for use in stews, soups , salads and amazing bowls like this simple black beans and sweet plantain bowl.
When cooking beans, bringing in some  freshness by either chopping of blending fresh herbs, really help elevate the dish. Leeks, spring onions, ginger , garlic and onions are five of my most used ingredients. With them being fresh, cooking time after adding the herbs should be short enough to retain the flavors.
This stewed beans is super easy to make and goes great with sweet fried plantains. Boiling the plantains is obviously a healthier version but there is something about fried plantains. Something that makes me ignore and totally forget the guilt. I tell myself the plantains were too ripe to boil, they will turn to mush! I can hear it already, if plantains are too ripe they soak up too much oil when frying. That’s true, but there are a few tricks around this. Granted it soaks up a little more oil than unripe plantains, technique also matters. These plantains were pan fried with oil just covering the surface of the pan. The oil was hot enough for a quick fry. Adding your plantains when the oil is not hot enough is a recipe for disaster. The Plantains were sliced thin so they cook in no time.
These sweet, warm treats paired wonderfully with the stewed black beans. A very satisfying and hearty sweet plantain and black bean bowl. You will love it, guaranteed.
Sweet plantain and black bean bowl
Ingredients
Stewed Beans
- 3 Cups cooked black beans (Salted)
- 2 Cups Roma Tomatoes diced
- 1 Cup Onions Diced
- 1/2 Inch cube ginger
- 1/2 Small Onions (To be Blended)
- 1 Spring onion
- 3 Large Garlic cloves
- 1 Small scotch bonnet or harbanero
- 1-2 Tbsp canola oil
- Salt to taste
Fried plantains
- 1/2 Cup canola oil
- 1 Large Ripe plantain
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet. Add in onions and cook for about 3 minutes. Add in diced tomatoes and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Add black beans, stir well and cook for a couple of minute or so.
- Blend onions, garlic, ginger , spring onions and scotch bonnet with about 1/4 cup of water. Add into skillet with 1/2 cup of water. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt. Serve with ripe plantains
Plantains
- Heat oil in a small fry pan ( oil enough to to just cover the bottom of the pan)
- Wash , peel and slice plantain into thin angled strips.
- Once oil is hot carefully add in plantains. Cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Serve with beans
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