Simmer Sauces

Butter Masala Beans

I recently re-discovered the goodness of pinto beans and luckily my kids realized their goodness too so they are now in heavy rotation over here.

I prefer cooking dried beans in an Instant Pot because it yields a creamier bean in my opinion and I usually cook it during work hours so it's ready to go by dinner time. If you don't own an Instant Pot or are strapped for time though, you can take 2 15 oz cans of pinto beans, black beans or kidney beans and heat them up with our Cashew Butter Masala and you're done!

I have also made this recipe with sauteed greens like Swiss chard, kale or spinach mixed in which is delicious and hearty.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 lb pinto beans (~2 cups), rinsed or 2 15 oz cans of pinto beans (black beans or kidney beans work too)

5 cups water

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 jar Brooklyn Delhi Cashew Butter Masala

Method

Place pinto beans and water in Instant Pot.* Set to high pressure for 35 minutes and let it naturally release until the stopper comes down. (FYI I like mine very soft and some beans may have broken apart)

Once cooked, drain off bean cooking water but save it on the side. Mix in salt to beans to taste and the Cashew Butter Masala sauce. At this point add in some of the cooking liquid to get to the consistency you like. (I save the rest of the cooking liquid as broth for other recipes or add back to leftover beans the next day as the beans tend to dry up in fridge.) The beans will be super hot already so the sauce will heat quickly by just mixing with the beans.

Serve plain as a stew or over rice topped with Greek yogurt, chopped red onions, cilantro and Tomato Achaar or Guntur Sannam Hot Sauce.

*If you don't have an Instant Pot, just sub in 2 15 oz cans of pinto beans to the recipe and add to warmed up simmer sauce.

For Serving

Greek yogurt

Chopped red onions

Chopped cilantro

Brooklyn Delhi Tomato Achaar or Guntur Sannam Hot Sauce