Vegan New Orleans Red Beans with Spiced Basmati Rice

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♼ Recipe origin is unknown. Vegan new orleans red beans with spiced basmati rice recipe, recipe Rating: 4.9
Number of votes:125

This is my vegan rendition of an old New Orleans classic, I was told these beans and rice were the real thing by four representatives of an old Creole community in New Orleans. Try for yourself.

Ready in: 5 hours 20 mins

Ingredients

Serves: 9

• What you need for the beans:
• 4 TBL Pure Olive Oil
• 2 cups of chopped onions
• 1 cup of green bell pepper chopped
• 1 cup of celery finely chopped
• 2 TSP Kosher Salt
• 1 Serrano pepper finely diced
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp ground thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup of vegan bacon bits
• 1 tsp vegan chicken bouillon or 1 cube
• 1 tsp vegan beef boullion or 1 cube
• 2 pounds of dried red kidney beans soaked for 2 days in water in the refrigerator
• 6 TBL crushed garlic
• lots of water
• And for the rice:
• 3 cups basmati rice soaked for 10 minutes and rinsed 5 times
• 4.5 cups of water
• 2 TBL of margarine
• 1 tsp or cube of vegan chicken boulion
• 1/2 tsp of cumin powder

Preparation method

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 5 hours

1. Cooking the beans: Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pot over medium-high heat. Saute onions, green peppers, celery, Serrano pepper, salt, black pepper, and thyme for about 5 minutes until the onion gets translucent. Add the bay leaves, bacon bits, and bullion mix then saute for another 5 to 6 minutes. Now add the drained beans, garlic, and enough water to cover the contents of the pot. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium simmer uncovered stirring occasionally for about 2-3 hours. Add more water if the mixture begins to get dry.

2. Use a wooden spoon or hard wooden spatula to mash about half of the beans at this point then mix really well. if needed add a bit more water at this point. Continue to cook stirring occasionally for another 1.5 hours or until the mix is creamy and the beans are soft, again stir occasionally and add more water as needed. It should be a creamy mix not watery, and not like a puree. Remove the bay leaves and serve with the rice.

3. Cooking the rice: Bring 4.5 cups of salted water to a boil ( with cooking rice its best to salt to taste, this means add salt and stir into the water until you can just taste the salt) Now add the margarine and melt in the bouillon, then mix in the ground cumin. Now add the drained rice stir and return to a boil, once rice comes back to a boil turn down heat to simmer and cover, let simmer or 15 minutes (I like to start my rice on a fast burner then once ready to simmer putting it on a preheated simmering burner helps to prevent initial scorching). After it has simmered for 15 minutes remove from heat gently stir and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Serve with your beans.