Red kidney beans are a creamy centred bean with a robust skin, holding their shape well when cooked. They have a wide range of uses, often service with rice in stews and curries, but also make a good addition to main course salads or can be used to make vegetarian bean burgers. Dried kidney beans need soaking overnight and cooking before you can use them in a recipe so make sure to plan ahead!
Nutrition
Per 100g
Energy KJ: 1334
Energy Kcal: 317
Fat: 1.5g
Of which saturates: 0.2g
Carbohydrate: 40g
Of which Sugar: 1.2g
Fibre: 23g
Protein: 24g
Salt: 0.03g
Preparation
Dried kidney beans need soaking overnight before they can be cooked. Soak them in a a large bowl or saucepan to ensure they have enough space to absorb the water, and cover to at least twice the volume of the dried beans so that they remain fully submerged. You can tell when they have soaked for long enough because there are no longer any wrinkled patches on the skins.
It is very important to discard the soaking water and rinse well before cooking, because the skins contain impurities that should not be consumed – these are released during soaking so need to be washed away. Once rinsed, add to a pan and cover well with water. Bring to the boil and continue to boil for 15 minutes to ensure all the impurities from the skin have been removed. Turn down the heat and simmer for a further 45-60 minutes until the beans are cooked through and creamy inside. Then they can be added to your recipe, and will stand further cooking well – they will take up the flavour of the dish they are added to.
