Have you discovered the joy of butter beans yet? They really are the perfect legume for many of your plant based dishes, yet they are highly underrated. Yes, not many people have even heard of butter beans, let alone ventured to cook with them, but we are here to change that.
This spicy, butter bean madras curry recipe is going to rock your world and convert you to this humble, rather large, bean forever, we promise you.
What Are Butter Beans?
Depending on where you hail from, you may know the butter bean as a lima bean. Whatever you want to call them, they are utterly delicious and not used nearly as often as they deserve to be.
Butter beans are white in colour, and get their name ‘butter’ bean due to them being creamy tasting, like butter. They actually have a very mild flavour and are perfect for most dishes that you need to use beans in, such as this Easy, Spanish butter bean stew.
The amazing butter bean is the largest of all the beans, therefore you feel like you’re really getting something meaty to eat. You can even buy giant versions that are even meatier and are often used a lot across the Continent.
How Do I use Butter Beans?
Butter beans are highly versatile and can make a great meat substitute on a plant based diet. There are many ways you can add butter beans into your life, including curries, chilis, stews, pies, and soups, to name just a few.
They even work as a side dish on their own as the protein element to your dish. For instance, you can eat plain butter beans with some crispy, air fried potatoes and some stir fried veggies and have a complete and filling, whole foods plant based meal that will satisfy you thoroughly.
Another way to eat butter beans is as just a snack on their own. Keep them in your fridge ready to munch on when you need something to tide you over until your next meal. They’re low fat, high fibre, and high protein with complex carbohydrates, making them the perfect between-meal snack.
Butter Bean Health Benefits
The health benefits and nutritional value of butter beans are many and enough to make them worthy of being a frequent part to your diet.
These include:-
- LOW FAT– Butter beans contain virtually zero fat per portion.
- HIGH FIBRE – High fibre foods help to fill you up for longer, whilst releasing energy slowly into your bloodstream for more sustained energy.
- WEIGHT LOSS FRIENDLY – Due to their low fat and high fibre, butter beans are a great, weight loss food alongside a healthy diet and will help to lower your over-all calorie intake by keeping you fuller for longer.
- HIGH PROTEIN – This bean has 12g protein per 170g serving of cooked butter bean, making it a great protein element to your dish.
- HIGH IN NUTRIENTS – Butter beans contain nutrients and antioxidants, such as manganese, copper, magnesium, iron, potassium, thiamin, B6, vitamin C and phosphorus. That’s a LOT of nutrition for one little bean!
Other Butter Bean Benefits…
Butter beans are COST EFFECTIVE. If you buy them in their dried form and make hem from scratch, you’re looking at very little layout for what is essentially a wonderful meat substitute for vegans, plant based eaters, or anyone looking to save a bit of cash on their food bill.
Yes, you can buy canned butter beans, but the flavour and texture is nowhere near as good as the dried ones. Taking the time and effort (which is actually minimal) is so worth it with this bean in-particular.
Many other beans work pretty well canned or jarred, but the butter bean goes to a whole new level when you make them from scratch, so why not give it a go? It’s so simple.
The homemade ones definitely taste better in this butter bean Madras curry recipe, that’s for sure!
How To Make Butter Beans From Scratch
This part couldn’t really be more simple, as with all dried legumes. It’s just a case of soaking your required amount of beans for 24 hours in fresh, filtered water. Using filtered or Spring water is best because they do soak a lot of fluid up that you will be eating with the bean when the time comes. You definitely don’t want any nasties from the water in there.
After you have pre soaked your butter beans, simply drain, run through with fresh water and add to a large saucepan. Cover with hot water, add a good pinch of salt, then simmer for roughly 30-40 minutes until tender (check package instructions).
You will want to keep checking your beans, as you don’t want them to go over or cooked too far. You want a little bite to them and not have them too soggy. You don’t want them to fall apart in your dish.
Spicy, Butter Bean (Lima Bean) Madras Curry Recipe
Equipment
- 400g dried butter beans
- Large, non stick pans
- Chopping board
- Wooden spoon
- Chopping knife
Ingredients
- 400 g dried butter beans (pre cooked) Make sure you soak cook these as per packet instructions before you begin this recipe. Alternatively, you can use 3 400g cans of pre cooked butter beans.
- 2 green bell peppers Thinly sliced
- 1 lg onion Thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic Crushed
- 2-3 tsp hot madras powder
- 1 heaped tbsp general curry powder of choice
- 1 heaped tbsp turmeric powder
- 2.5 cups soya milk Go for organic, unsweetened if possible.
- 1.5 cups veggie stock
- 2 tsp brown sugar Can be subbed for coconut sugar or other sweetener.
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 7-8 crushed cardamon pod seeds
- Large handful fresh coriander And extra for serving.
Instructions
- Have your butter beans pre prepped and fully cooked as per packet instructions before you start your curry. If using canned or jarred, then no prep necessary apart from draining and rinsing.
- Get your brown rice on to cook as this will take around 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, in a large, non stick saucepan, dry fry your thinly sliced onions and garlic until browning and beginning to stick. The idea is to go for as long as you can without adding any water to be able to caramelise your onions and get FLAVOUR out of them. Once they start sticking too much, feel free to add splashes of hot water.
- Next add your sliced, green peppers to the pan and continue frying as dry as possible for a further 5 minutes or so.
- Now add your dry seasonings and fry out for a further minute before adding your fluids, tomato paste and sugar. Bring to a simmer, cover, then simmer for a further 15 minutes until reduced down and thickened.
- Before serving add a big handful of chopped coriander and stir in.
- Serve with brown rice and more coriander for a healthy, very low fat, high fibre meal.
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