Slow Cooked Adzuki Bean and Sweet Potato Curry
This slow cooked adzuki bean and sweet potato curry is an easy slow cooker dish the whole family will love.
Our last trip to the local Asian supermarket to buy pulses resulted in the familiar split peas and butter beans, plus something called red cow peas. These are common in some countries as they are drought resistant – and they are also known as adzuki beans. I love researching different pulses, as they are all really inexpensive and really good for you, and all lend a different character to a dish.
My first go at using them is based on a traditional dish called pumpkin erissery, from Kerala in South India. I’ve swapped the pumpkin for sweet potato as it’s common all year round here and easy to peel.
Slow Cooked Adzuki Beans
After 7-8 hours the result was a dish with a well rounded flavour and a velvety smoothness from the coconut milk. The beans were so soft they were falling apart, and the sweet potato and coconut milk melded together to form a lovely sweet base.
This amount of spice made the curry medium-hot – halve the spices for a milder dish. The coconut milk helped make this a dish that was fragrant as well as filling. Definitely one to make again, and it would be easy to make on the hob using canned or pre-cooked adzuki or black eye beans.
Serving the Curry
Serve this slow cooked adzuki bean curry topped with coriander or natural yogurt, and eat with naan, rice or chapati. I’m sure this would be just as good over a jacket potato for bonfire night though.
Amended from a recipe publised on 11 July 2014
An easy vegan slow cooker that meat eaters will love too
- 1 cup dried adzuki beans 250g/9oz
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 3 medium sweet potatoes approx 1.2kg
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds or powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp hot chilli powder
- 1 can coconut milk
- 600 ml water
- Soak the beans overnight or for approx. 8 hours.
- Drain, and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Peel and dice the onion and dice the tomatoes, and add to the slow cooker.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into chunks. Add these to the other ingredients and mix together.
Crush the mustard seeds with the back of a spoon if using and stir in the spices. If you don't have individual spices, try using Garam Masala or curry powder.
Boil the water and open the coconut milk. Stir them in and mix everything well, then set your slow cooker on low for 8 hours.
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