Bean & Tomato Bredie (Stew)
A friend of mine recently sent me this recipe and I had to share it because it’s truly so delicious… and a great cozy meal for these cold days!
This is an amazing South African dish from a book called “The World in Your Kitchen” full of vegetarian recipes from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. While I haven’t been to Africa, this is a way for me to connect with the culture right from my own home… something that’s so beautiful about food and cooking! I know I’ll travel there one day and experience the culture first hand, but for now this will do!
I love that this dish is full of warming and grounding spices, making it the perfect meal for winter time. It’s a vegetarian version of a typical South African Cape stew “Tomato Bredie”, which is commonly made with meat and a variety of vegetables that are stewed together to allow the flavors to intermingle.
This version is a Bean and Tomato Bredie. I ended up modifying it slightly with the ingredients I could find and according to my own personal preference! If you scroll down you’ll find some images from the actual cookbook and I’ll share below how I modified it for myself so you can choose the way that suits your own needs and preferences!
By the way….I don’t always measure things when I cook to be completely honest, which is actually one of the reasons why I love cooking so much! It allows me to be creative, go with my own flow, and make things according to how I like them, which is very therapeutic and freeing for me! So I didn’t measure everything I did here…but this is not something you need to be very precise with, so I encourage you to just surrender a bit and let your intuition guide you. If you don’t have a spice or a few ingredients it’s totally fine, you can substitute it for something comparable or omit it. Maybe add a veggie or try it with a different type of bean, there’s lots of opportunities to experiment with a dish like this!
INGREDIENTS
1 onion chopped
1 shallot diced
1 cube of frozen ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
Sprinkle of Chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 can of pinto beans drained and rinsed
1 lb of tomatoes chopped
½ lb of potatoes cut into cubes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp fresh thyme
¼ cup apple cider vinegar (sub red wine or red wine vinegar)
⅓ cup of raisins
Water (or veggie stock)
EVOO
Salt & pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and add onions cooking until softened.
Add shallots, ginger, cardamom, fennel seeds, chili powder, and coriander. Cook for 5-10 minutes stirring frequently.
Add the rest of the ingredients, a bit of water and simmer covered for 1 ½ hours. Stir occasionally and add a bit more water if needed. I added enough liquid so that the potatoes were mostly covered and could cook in the stock.
Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Option to add any more seasoning you’d like.
PS - one ingredient I avoided here was garlic, because I don’t tolerate it well. I’d recommend adding that in though if you like it! 2 cloves chopped added in at step 2 with the other ingredients.
I love sharing my own recipes with others, but I also love getting recipes from friends, family, and other creators! Food is such an amazing way to connect and share with other people and different cultures. It has the ability to transport us to places beyond our physical environment, allows us to be creative, and can even help us to connect more deeply with ourselves. In this way food provides nourishment on many levels. Of course I’m all for the nourishment it provides our bodies and our minds so that we can function optimally, feel better, and live healthier… but it’s just as important to recognize how it can provide deep nourishment for our souls. Food is connection, nostalgia, creativity, culture, experience, love, joy, and more. Allowing space for food to nourish you on these different levels is key for true health and happiness!
So with that being said, experiment, have fun with food, explore new recipes and cooking methods, find what makes you feel good, and share it with others! Special thanks to my friend Kelly Madera for sharing this delicious recipe and inspiring me dive into some new recipes and cuisines!
