Home Cook Together. Celebrate Life.

FilipinoAuthentic Cuisine

Filipino Bean Stew

Serves 4 to 6 Entree vegetarian

Filipino Bean Stew

Filipino Bean Stew is a comforting staple at home, often savored during the rainy season when warmth and nourishment are most needed. This dish, a true reflection of Filipino home cooking, is crafted with instinct rather than precision, embodying the essence of communal meals where the salt is judged by hand and the fat is used generously. It finds its place on the table, ready for sharing, a culinary embrace for family and friends.

The stew offers a rich and hearty experience, with beans that have absorbed the depth of slow-cooked onions and the tangy richness of tomato paste. A generous splash of oil imbues the dish with a luscious texture, while a careful balance of fine sea salt and black pepper elevates its comforting simplicity. This is a dish where each mouthful feels like a warm invitation to linger at the table.

Ingredients

  • 400 gdried beans — soaked
  • 1onion
  • 2 tbsptomato paste
  • 80 mloil
  • to tastefine sea salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Start by soaking 400 g of dried beans in a large bowl of water overnight. This will help soften the beans and reduce cooking time. Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly before proceeding to the next step.
  2. Peel and finely chop 1 onion. In a large pot, heat 80 ml of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion to the pot and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes translucent and soft, releasing a sweet aroma. This should take about 5 to 7 minutes.
  3. Stir in 2 tbsp of tomato paste with the onions, ensuring it coats them evenly. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes, allowing the tomato paste to caramelize slightly and deepen in color, which enhances the flavor of the stew.
  4. Add the soaked and drained beans to the pot, stirring them into the onion and tomato mixture. Pour in enough water to cover the beans by about 2 inches. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
  5. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot, allowing the beans to cook slowly. Stir occasionally and check the texture of the beans. They should become tender and creamy, absorbing the flavors of the tomato and onion base. This process may take up to 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on the bean variety.
  6. Once the beans are tender, season the stew with fine sea salt and black pepper to taste. Stir well to ensure the seasoning is evenly distributed. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
  7. Serve the Filipino Bean Stew hot, ideally with steamed rice or crusty bread. This dish is meant for sharing, embodying the communal spirit of Filipino home cooking.
Cover of Authentic Filipino Cuisine
From the cookbook

Authentic Filipino Cuisine

This recipe is from Authentic Filipino Cuisine by Yassine Sbiti — the Filipino volume in the ComidaTime International Cuisines series.

Available soon on Amazon…

Explore Filipino cuisine