Brothy miso beans with miso-butter mushrooms
Brothy miso beans with miso-butter mushrooms
When cooking dried beans, always bear in mind that the cooking time will depend upon how fresh your beans are. The older the beans, the longer or more inconsistently they will cook. So try to cook your dried beans as soon as possible.
The brothy beans can be eaten as written, or you can go in a different direction. Add more vegetable stock, along with tomatoes, green beans, potato, kale and macaroni for a minestrone-esque soup, or stir in tomato paste, cream and cheese to create a silky beany main. Add a bunch of greens like kale or spinach. Scoop some of the beans out and make this puttanesca-flavored soup or serve on top of crusty bread. Puree it up with tahini to make a dip.
Other dried beans such as chickpeas, lima or butter beans can be used too. Cook time will vary depending upon the freshness and size of your beans so check them often. Don’t skimp on the olive oil as it really brings the flavours together and adds a silky lusciousness to the beans
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
- 450g (1 pound) dried white beans such as navy or cannellini
- 2 tablespoons white (shiro) miso paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chili crisp/oil
- extra virgin olive oil
Broth Seasonings
- 2 bay leaves (dried or fresh)
- 1 to 2 carrots, thinly sliced crosswise
- 1/2 to 1 onion or shallot (eschalot)
- 1 head garlic, halved crosswise, loose skin discarded
- 4 to 6 dried shiitake mushrooms (or other dried mushrooms)
- 1 to 2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 sprigs of thyme or rosemary
Miso-Buttter Shiitake Mushrooms (optional)
- 2 tablespoons vegan or dairy butter (salted or unsalted)
- 1 tablespoon white (shiro) miso paste
Substitutes: Chili crisp/oil: gochujang, sriracha, sambal oelek / Miso paste: tahini, smooth peanut butter or other nut butter such as cashew / Carrot: butternut, parsnip, sweet potato
Place dried beans into a large pot. Pick over the beans and remove any debris. Cover with at least 1-inch / 2-3cm of water. Cover the pot and place on medium high heat and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. Let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes. I call this method a quick-soak.
After this resting time, top the beans with more water, enough to cover the beans by 2-inches (5cm). Add 2 big pinches of salt, along with the broth seasonings - bay leaves, carrot, onion or shallot (eschalot), garlic, dried shiitake, celery and thyme or rosemary.
Place the beans on medium high heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the beans are tender - this can range from 45 to 60 minutes, depending upon the freshness of your beans. When the beans are soft, uncover and scoop out and discard the herbs, bay leaves, onion and skin of the garlic (leave the cloves). Remove the mushrooms and set aside to cool.
Stir well to break up the carrots, celery and garlic - they will melt away and combine with the liquid to thicken up the broth. Stir in miso paste, soy sauce, chili crisp/oil or gochujang and a few glugs of olive oil. Stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
If you are making the miso-butter shiitake mushrooms, squeeze the shiitake mushroom to remove any excess moisture. Thinly slice them. Heat a medium skillet/frying pan on medium high. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon of butter along with the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and toss until they are starting to caramelize around the edges, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the miso paste and remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, and stir well to encourage the miso to soften and coat the mushrooms. Turn off the heat.
To serve, ladle the beans into a serving bowl, top with a few of the shiitake mushrooms, and scatter over the chives. Drizzle with olive oil, season with pepper and serve.
Storage: These beans will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
