I’ve been experimenting with various bean recipes, almost always with the Instant Pot. We’ve had some very good white bean chicken chili but prefer to cook vegetarian dishes at home. The Instant Pot makes it fast and easy. Since I do a quick soak by pouring boiling water over the beans and letting them stand for an hour we can have them for dinner in a couple of hours. Preparing the chopped onions, garlic and spices while the beans are soaking makes dinner a breeze.
For this recipe, I used Alubia Blanca, a small white bean from Rancho Gordo. Other white beans such as navy or cannellini would work as well.
Recipe:
1 pound white beans, soaked and drained
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can green chiles, 4 oz size or more
4 cups veggie broth ( I use Better Than Bouillon-no chicken base)
2 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. aleppo pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Umamier spice mix – from The Deliciouser
Olive Oil
Cilantro for garnish
Put everything except the olive oil in the Instant Pot, and set the timer for 20 minutes with a natural release. After 20 minutes the beans were quite soft. If you would like a firmer bean just cook it for about 15 minutes. You can always cook them a little more if too firm. Adjust your seasonings, swirl with a little olive oil, garnish with cilantro, and chow down.
I added the Umamier after it was done cooking because the beans needed more depth. When you grow up with ham and bacon in every pot of beans it’s hard to duplicate the flavor. I found the Umamier at our local garden store, Avid Gardener. I may try the Oaxaca Spice Blend next time since I saw it on the list of ingredients for The Deliciouser’s white bean chili recipe.
Email and let me know what concoctions you have found to give that umami boost to your beans and soups.