Back home in Indonesia, I only know two ways of cooking red kidney bean soup - Angeun Kacang Bereum a typical West Javanese dish which I grew up eating lots, usually served with rice and sambel terasi as a condiment. This soup is quite light with sweet tangy flavors and a subtle hit of terasi and chili.
The other kind is called Sup Brenebon, a Menadonese dish, which I suspect is one of the dishes inherited from the Dutch Colonial. Bruine bonen soup – shortened to Brenebon. Makes sense!
After living away, I learn other ways of cooking red kidney soup. One of my favorites way is to slow cook with pork bone and carrots, a pinch of nutmeg and ground spanish paprika. Towards the end sprinkle with freshly chopped red and green bell peppers. A perfect finishing touch to the already round flavours of the soup. The creaminess of kidney beans, a little kick of nutmeg and spanish paprika, richness flavors from pork bone, sweetness of carrots complemented by the pleasant zing of chopped fresh bell peppers. You wouldn’t say no to that, would you? It is a hearty meal to warm up freezing winter evenings. I served them with Italian foccacia bread and a bottle of red wine.
Interested to cook this for tonight? Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
* 500 gr kidney beans, soak overnight
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 4 cloves crushed garlic
* 1 large pork bone for broth
* 2 large red tomatoes, chopped
* 1 pc large carrots – cut bitesize
* 2 pcs bay leaves
* 1 tbs oregano
* 1 tbs basil
* 2 tbs ground spanish paprika
* pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (better flavor than ground one)
* salt, brown sugar & pepper to taste
* any leftover deli meats in your fridge
( I use bacon strips and Italian sausages)
Cooking Direction:
1.) Boil pork bone in a pot for a few minutes to until the brown stuff that floats about appear
Discard water. Add fresh water and boil on low heat – I did it for 2.5 hrs
2.) In a pan cook onions & garlic until fragrant. Add broth and beans
3.) Add salt, pepper, sugar, nutmeg, oregano, basil, tomatoes, bayleaves. Cook until beans almost tender
4.) Add carrots, bacon strips, sausages (or anything of your preferences), ground paprika
5.) Continue cooking until carrots are soft. Taste the soup
6.) Sprinkles with fresh chopped bell peppers
7.) Ready to serve
Great soup and healthy one
)
Hello
this soup would be very welcome as it is so cold here ! thanks for the sharing !
I am Pierre Based in Paris France I have created my food blog dedicated to creative French food so feel free to have a visit you are very welcome !
cheers from Paris
Pierre