Page 1 of 1

Refried Beans

Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 3:12 pm
by drmoss_ca
This is so easy, and I bet lots of you have variations on it.

I put 3 cups of dried red kidney/pinto/black turtle beans in the pressure cooker and hold them at pressure for 15 minutes, take off the lid, add water if needed and then give them another 15 minutes. If you go to the expense of canned beans, just wash them well or they will make you fart.

While the pressure cooker does it's thing, I put some olive oil in a large wok that happens to have a lid. Turn up the heat and add
1-2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp English mustard powder
and let the spices fry for a minute or less; they must not turn black.

Chop a large onion finely and add to oil and spices, fry till it softens.
(Option: at this time you could add ground beef or Yves brand fake meat, and a tin of crushed tomatoes and make chili)

Drain the beans from the pressure cooker, and rinse them through with hot water. Add beans to wok, along with 1-2 cups of hot water (not all at once, but a bit at a time to judge the consistency). Use a potato masher to crush the beans - now you know why they had to be well-cooked - and add more water if needed until the consistency is right. We're going to simmer this for most of the day, so some extra water is OK. The lid can go on to conserve water, or be taken off to let it thicken. I tend to leave a wooden spoon in the pan with the lid resting on it. That way it only slowly loses water as most condenses on the lid and drips back in.
At this point I tend to do some rather non-traditional things, like adding a cup or two of frozen peas and frozen corn. They add some colour and different textures, plus even more protein! No law against experiment with whatever vegetables you have around.
To adjust flavour shortly before serving, you will need some tasting spoons. It will need salt, likely ½ to 1 tsp, but go by your tastebuds. It will probably need some more heat, and here you have lots of choices. I have a shelf of a fridge full of hot sauces, of which my favourite is called 'Fear Itself' as it tastes strongly of jalapeño rather than just being hot. A few drops will do, but even plain Tabasco or Sriracha will do the job. This isn't a vindaloo, just some warmth and not a challenge to your manhood is all that's needed.

You can serve this how you like. My favourite way of all is to make tortillas at home (I can give my recipe if desired) and serve with the usual trimmings of salsa, guacamole, sour cream and grated cheese. But a big panful like this is going to last, so the rest goes into a plastic box and can be frozen, or refrigerated for a few days and then microwaved and served on rice, which is what's for supper tonight!

Chris

Re: Refried Beans

Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 4:16 pm
by Squire
Sounds good!