Caribbean Black Bean Curry

When I went searching for a black bean curry, Caribbean recipes popped up almost exclusively.  Ok, I can deal with that.  I settled on this one from Olive Magazine.

The biggest difference between this curry and the Indian ones I usually attempt is that there's no coconut milk.  It's tomato-based, with plenty of spices and nothing really to mellow them.  I need to cut down on my saturated fat anyway.

This recipe also doesn't add salt.  It's advertised as a healthy option, and definitely is.  I chose to have it with cheesy gorditas, so we're just going to ignore the healthy part.  It doesn't need the salt.  Soy sauce provides some, as do the canned ingredients.

I really liked the flavor combinations.  Mostly, you taste the thyme, and I only put in half of the original recipe's teaspoon.  The "sweet" spices balance it and the bay leaf, so it doesn't taste muddy.  And yes, this is a long list of ingredients because of the spices.  It's a curry.  You don't taste the maple syrup.  It must just cut down the acidity of the tomatoes.

This is also a very fast recipe to make.  The longest step is sautéing the onion and spices.  Other than that, you dump it all in and bring to a simmer.  If you're having it with rice, start the rice first.  I left it simmering while the gorditas were frying, and they do not take long.

*2 Tb coconut oil
*1 C diced onion
*1 tsp grated ginger
*2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
*1/2 tsp dried thyme
*1 bay leaf
*1 small cinnamon stick
*1 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 Tb soy sauce
*1 Tb maple syrup or brown sugar
1 small can roasted red peppers
*1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
*1 14.5 oz can black beans
*1 Tb lime juice (1 lime)
cilantro leaves for garnish

1.  In a large skillet, melt the coconut oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion, ginger, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, coriander, and allspice.  Cook until the onion is softened, stirring frequently, about 5-8 minutes.

2.  While that's cooking, chop the red peppers into strips or dice.  I totally forgot to put them on my grocery list, so they did not end up in the dish.  If you would like to add a hot pepper, chop that up at this time, too.  Drain and rinse the beans.

3.  Add red peppers, tomatoes with their juice, black beans, soy, and maple syrup to the pan and stir to combine.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, for flavors to meld.  Finish with the lime juice and serve hot.  Garnish with cilantro if desired.  Can be served over rice, potatoes, noodles, with tortillas, or as a stew.

Difficulty rating  π