how to make traditional habichuelas guisadas (dominican stewed beans)

I call this dish the Dominican version of Dhal. No it has nothing to do with curry or lentils but it has so much Potential. This amazing vegan Dominican dish can’t be missed in any Dominican kitchen. It is full of flavor, super healthy stew. The sauce is very thick and super satisfying. This high in protein dish together with rice is going to make you full for the whole day.

• Beans.

  Quail beans also known as Pinto beans are my absolute favorite beans for this recipe, but Kidney beans work as well. Pinto beans are extremely healthy as they contain many important vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein. The bean may improve your heart health, improve your blood sugar regulation, and is full of antioxidants.

• Bell pepper.

  A juicy red bell pepper for the sazon of the beans.

• Olives.

  I prefer green olives, no stones for this dish. At some point, we are going to blend some of the sauce, and it makes everything so much easier if there is no stone.

• Capers.

  Works perfectly with the olives, garlic, and onion together.

• Celery stick.

  The stick releases so much flavor. You can remove it after cooking or blend it with the other ingredients, to get the most flavor.

• Onion.

  One medium-sized onion for the flavor.

• Garlic cloves.

  Together with the onion an important ingredient in the Dominican kitchen. For this dish essential.

• Cilantro.

  What would a Dominican kitchen be without cilantro? Nothing, the herb adds so much taste. If you don’t like cilantro, remove it after cooking, you won’t have strong a cilantro taste, actually, no cilantro taste at all as it harmonizes perfectly with the other ingredients.

• Tomato paste.

  For the color and taste.

There are different ways to cook Dominican stewed beans. You can make them in the slow cooker or in a pot for example.
In this recipe, we are cooking it in a pot. But what we should definitely talk about is what beans we are using. You can use beans like kidney or qual beans for this recipe. The important question is are you using cooked (canned ) or dry beans? I’m going to write this recipe for the people who use canned beans, but I’m going to write about dry beans.

If you decide to make the habichuelas guisadas from scratch, make sure to let the beans soak in water overnight. If you’re not doing that, The dish will need the whole day to cook. You can do that if you’re cooking them in the slow cooker.

1. Wash the beans.
2. Use a big bowl and put the beans inside.
3. Cover the beans in water. Remember all the beans are going to absorb the water so put enough water in the bowl.
4. Discard the beans that are floating.
5. Put the bowl in the fridge overnight.

The beans are going to need like 30 minutes more, then the beans that are already cooked.

The typical way to eat habichuelas guisadas is with rice and Ensalada verde, avocado, fried sweet plantain, and chicken.

If you leave the chicken out, the plate is vegan

.
If you don’t want to eat rice you can add potatoes to this dish and eat it with a big side salad.

Store the beans in the fridge, but for no longer than 1 day, it can cause bloating. If you have much leftover, freeze the rest.
If you still want to eat the Dominican stewed beans, add caraway seeds, as it helps your digestion.