Black Bean Curry Bowls with Brown Basmati Rice
These black bean curry bowls are simple to make and they taste very good indeed, especially when served with brown basmati rice. They include some hidden carrots for additional veg oomph. A perfect healthy whole food vegan supper to Jumpstart January.
It may no longer be the International Year of Pulses, but lentils, beans and peas have been one of my staples ever since I can remember. They’re not only nutritious, delicious and filling, but they make a great base for many a meal.
Black Bean Curry Bowls with Tomato and Carrots
The recipe is adapted from Meera Sodha’s new vegetarian cookbook, Fresh India which I featured in my Christmas gift guide. It’s fast become one of my favourite books.
Meera’s curry, which she names Rajma contains kidney beans and no carrots. I had no kidney beans to hand, but I did have some cooked black beans in the freezer; I thought they might look rather dramatic against the red of the tomato sauce.
My veg rack was sporting a few not-quite-but-nearly wrinkled carrots, so I thought I’d better use them up quick and incorporate them into the sauce. I substituted a red chilli for the green one, omitted the chilli powder and used slightly different quantities of the other spices.
Hidden Veg
The sauce for the black bean tomato carrot curry is whizzed up in a blender. I used my Optimum G2.3 platinum series induction blender, This made short work of grinding the onions, carrots, ginger and other firm ingredients into a loose paste. It was then a simple process of frying some spices, adding the sauce and finally the beans and a few more spices.
Because the sauce is so fine, no-one would know there were carrots in it. So it’s a great curry for anyone whole doesn’t like, or doesn’t think they like, carrots.
Brown Basmati Rice
I served the curry with the last of the Christmas brussels sprouts and brown basmati rice. This is probably my favourite rice: it’s fragrant, slightly nutty and keeps the selenium, manganese, niacin, calcium, magnesium, fibre and more that is largely lost in white rice.
Fonio also works particularly well in these black bean curry bowls. If you haven’t tried this fabulous grain yet, do give it a go.
I like a bit of chilli heat, but you can always use a mild or small chilli instead if you don’t want it too hot. We ate half of the curry one day and the remainder the next. Like all curries, it was even better on day two.
For extra flavour and a cooling effect, try it with a good dollop of homemade raita.
Instead of the brussels sprouts or other plain veg, you could try this chayote curry.
Other Recipes for Vegan Curries You Might Like
- Bunny chow (bean & tomato curry
- Cauliflower rice and jerk sweet potatoes
- Green split pea curry
- Kill-a-cold lentil curry
- Spinach chickpea curry
- Thai green curry with cashew nuts
For even more curry inspiration, head over to my Cure All Curries board on Pinterest. There you’ll find plenty of both vegan and vegetarian curries from all over the world.
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these black bean curry bowls, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Have you any top tips? Please share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
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Black Bean Tomato Carrot Curry with Brown Basmati Rice
Equipment
- power blender
Ingredients
- 200 g brown basmati rice
- 1 large onion or 2 small ones – peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 medium carrots topped, tailed and scrubbed
- 1 red chilli deseeded
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 thumb size knob root ginger (I use organic ginger and keep the skin on)
- 400 g tinned plum tomatoes
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil or sunflower oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 400 g cooked black beans or 1 tin – drained and rinsed
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ¾ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 6 sprig coriander leaves (cilantro) (optional) – washed and chopped
Instructions
- Wash the rice well, place in a pan with 425ml water. Place a lid on the pan. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and allow the rice to steam for 30 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the pan covered for a further ten minutes or until ready to serve.200 g brown basmati rice
- Blitz the onions, carrots, chilli, garlic, ginger and tomatoes in a blender until a loose paste forms.1 large onion, 4 medium carrots, 1 red chilli, 3 cloves garlic, 1 thumb size knob root ginger, 400 g tinned plum tomatoes
- Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the cumin seeds for a few seconds, then add the tomato paste.2 tbsp rapeseed oil, ½ tsp cumin seeds
- Stir, bring to a simmer and cook for twenty minutes.
- Fill the empty tomato tin with water and add this to the paste.
- Bring to a simmer and add the beans and remaining spices. Add salt to taste and cook for a further ten minutes.400 g cooked black beans, ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground turmeric, ¾ tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp salt
- Scatter the coriander leaves over the top just before serving.6 sprig coriander leaves (cilantro)
- Serve with the rice, your choice of green vegetable and pickles.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Linkies
I’m sending my black bean tomato carrot curry to Jac at Tinned Tomatoes for Meat Free Mondays.
It also goes to Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary for the No Food Waste Challenge – those carrots really wouldn’t have lasted any longer nor would the Brussels sprouts.
Finally, I’m sharing this black bean curry bowl recipe with Everyday Healthy Recipes for #CookBlogShare and with Searching for Spice for #CookOnceEatTwice.
What a gorgeous way to serve the last of the festive sprouts! I love all the spices in this recipe – it sounds like a super inspiring book you’ve adapted it from. Thank you for sharing with the No Waste Food Challenge, it’s always great to have you on board! 🙂
Aw, thanks Elizabeth. It’s a fab book. I just need time to take a proper look at it. We’re big fans of spicy food here. It was curry for us again last night 🙂
Love this and such a tasty combination with the black beans and carrots, and i’m a big fan of brown rice too.
Thank you. Brown rice has such a lovely nutty flavour, I’m not quite sure why it is generally despised.
You rock at these bowls Choclette!
Thanks for entering them into Meat Free Mondays, I featured your recipe and the roundup is now live, if you would like to see what else was featured this week or just how bonnie your dish looks. Right, now time to do a bit of promotion for this post for you!
Thanks Jac. I’ll head on over later to see what other feasts you have for us 🙂
This looks like a perfect meal! I think I may have found me new favorite curry combo!
Haha, yes, it’s mine for the moment, but I’m rather fickle when it comes to food. I suspect something else will quickly win my affection 😉
This curry sounds perfect for a weeknight meal!
It really is Kat and it’s also really easy to bulk up if needing to feed a crowd.
I have made the Rajma curry from Meera’s recipe and substituting Rajma for black beans sounds perfect. I have only just started using black beans and find them so easy to cook.
I’d be interested to hear what you think of Meera’s book Mina? Black beans are just fabulous.
My kind of dinner! I love beans and I love curry. I also love sprouts with my curry! It could have been made for me :O)
I must have had you in mind Mel 🙂
This is such a lovely vegetarian recipe, Choclette. I simply love the smell of Basmati rice. And the black beans there is a perfect match.
Oh yes, so right. The scent of basmati rice cooking is wonderful. Thank you.
Oh I could really do with that warm and hearty dish right now. Definitely loving the idea of adding black beans to a curry. Thank you so much for the mention x
Thanks Helen. I’m not sure what makes black beans so good, but they really are rather fab 🙂
This curry sounds delicious. I love that you can whip up the sauce in the blender. 🙂
I would be so lost without a good blender. I use it most days.
There is something about brown rice – plain or basmati that just screams healthy and goodness! this looks like it would be really satisfying.
Personally, I find it much tastier than white rice too 🙂
Black beans are my absolute favourite, I bung them in everything! This looks like perfect January food and I am totally craving sprouts again now!
Black beans are so good. I’ve only come across them in the last few years. My mother always used to use large black beans which I wasn’t very keen on, so I was suspicious of these turtle beans – until I tried them!
We have the same ‘loosely based on a recipe’ technique – use what we’ve got in the cupboard and add/omit to our own personal taste 🙂
Well that’s what good cooking’s all about really 🙂
I love that black bean tomato curry sauce! It’s not only healthy, also very delicious, Choclette.
Thanks Angie, it was definitely delicious, although it’s the sort of food we eat all of the time 🙂
thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes. I have been a vegetarian for 5 years now and I can’t tell you enough how your blog has perked up my cooking! I look forward to your postings and trying your recipes. Thanks again and best wishes for the new year.
Hello Joe. Thank you so much for commenting and letting me know. That’s possibly the nicest thing that’s happened to me this year 🙂 Happy New Year to you too.
Yum! I can never follow a recipe to the letter, even one from a really great cookbook, so I like the sound of your substitutions!
Yes, I’m hopeless at following recipes, but they are great for inspiration and guidelines 🙂