In Brazil, feijoada is a meat dish with beans. In Goa, another former colony of Portugal, it is a bean dish in which meat is optional. I have been served and prepared it with both kidney beans and black-eyed peas and prefer it with the latter. To serve more people, simply double the beans and increase the remaining ingredients slightly or add meat; it won’t be much more effort. Serve over rice and make this entirely in advance if you like; it will keep, refrigerated, for a couple of days. Other legumes you can prepare this way: kidney or other red beans, black beans.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1/2 pound dried black-eyed peas or kidney beans, rinsed and picked over

　　2 large onions, peeled

　　6 garlic cloves, peeled

　　1 small dried chile or 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

　　One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

　　2 tablespoons corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1 tablespoon Fragrant Curry Powder (page 593) or any mild, good-quality curry powder

　　2 large tomatoes, cored, seeded, and roughly chopped (canned are fine; use about 1 1/2 cups)

　　1 cup coconut milk, homemade (page 584) or canned

　　4 Italian or other large sausages, optional

　　1 tablespoon tamarind paste, homemade (page 585) or store-bought, or fresh lime juice to taste

　　

Step 1

If time allows, soak dried beans for several hours overnight or boil them in water to cover for a minute, then soak for a couple of hours. If you have not soaked the beans, rinse them and put them in a pot with water to cover; bring to a boil and simmer while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Otherwise, drain and add them in step 3.

　　

Step 2

Combine the onions, garlic, chile, and ginger in a food processor and grind until pasty. Put the oil in a large deep saucepan or flameproof casserole with a lid over medium heat and add the onion mixture, along with some salt and pepper and the curry powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown, 5 to 10 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Add the tomatoes and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Whether you’ve soaked or parboiled the beans, drain them and add them to the simmering mixture, along with enough water to barely submerge the beans. Partially cover and adjust the heat so the mixture simmers steadily but not violently. Cook until the beans are tender, 30 to 90 minutes.

　　

Step 4

If you are using the sausages, cut them into 1-inch chunks and brown them at any time while the beans are cooking. Stir into the bean mixture. Just before serving, add the tamarind. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.