Curried Baked Beans

When I came up with this idea, I was very disappointed that every recipe I looked at started with baked beans out of a can.  In some countries (I think one was Australia) you can even buy canned curried baked beans.  That wasn't what I wanted.  I wanted to leave the beans in a low oven all day and have a lovely bowl of them in the evening.

So yes, this is going to take you close to 24 hours.  Half to soak, half to bake.  And about 10 minutes of it is active time, including stirring and checking water levels.  The techniques involved are hundreds - if not thousands - of years old.  I'm just changing up the seasonings.

If you don't want to leave your oven on all day, and happen to have a crock pot, set it on low and you're good.  I bet a rice cooker would also work.  I was temped to make this in a fondue pot, just as an experiment, but it was my main dish for half the week and I didn't want to risk ruining it.  Maybe when I'm having beans as a side.

*3/4 C navy or great northern beans, dry
*2 Tb dried onion flakes or 1/2 C diced yellow onion
*1-1/2 tsp curry powder, or to taste
*1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp grated ginger
*chopped fresh cilantro and butter for serving, optional

1.  The night before, sort and rinse beans.  Place in a casserole with a lid and cover with at least 2 inches of water.  It's hard to believe that less than two layers of dry beans can be four servings, but it is.

2.  In the morning, preferably before 9am, start preheating the oven to 220º F.  Set three cups of water to boil.  Drain and rinse soaked beans.

3.  Put the beans back in the casserole.  Add remaining ingredients.  I used the onion flakes because they are embarrassingly old and I'm trying to get rid of them.  I bought an onion to use in this, then decided to go with using up an old pantry item first.  There's always a use for onions, and they keep for weeks.

4.  Pour boiling water into casserole, stir to distribute spices, and put on the lid.  Bake 6-8 hours, until beans are completely done and mushy in that good, slow-baked way.  Check on them every two hours or so: stir and add more water if necessary.  When done, they will look slightly dry on top, but have a thick sauce when you stir.  Serve with bread or rice, topped with fresh cilantro and/or butter if desired.

Difficulty rating  π