White Beans With Beef, Done Properly
Beans stay hard when salt or tomato paste go in before they have softened. Both toughen the cell wall. The right order is: soak overnight, boil in plain water, and only after they are tender add the sauce, the meat and the salt.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 140 min
- Total
- 160 min
- Calories
- 380
Photo: Horacio Cambeiro — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
White beans with beef is a staple Egyptian winter dish — cheap, filling and dependable. The usual frustration is beans that are still hard after two hours, and the cause is the order of operations, not the cooking time.
Method
-
1
Soak overnight
Soak the beans in plenty of water for 12 hours, then discard the soaking water. Soaking halves the cooking time and removes the sugars that cause bloating.
⏱ 15 min -
2
Boil in plain water
Boil them in fresh water with a bay leaf for 60 minutes with no salt and no tomato until tender enough to crush between your fingers.
⏱ 62 min -
3
Brown the beef
Dry the beef cubes and brown them in the ghee in small batches over high heat until deeply coloured. A crowded pan steams rather than browns.
⏱ 16 min -
4
Simmer the beef
Add an onion, cardamom, bay and water to cover, and cook 60 minutes over low heat until tender. Beef and beans cook separately.
⏱ 62 min -
5
Fry the paste
In a pot, fry the second onion in ghee for 8 minutes, then add the garlic, tomato paste and spices and fry 5 minutes until the paste darkens and releases its oil.
⏱ 14 min -
6
Bring it together
Add the grated tomatoes and cook 5 minutes, then add the cooked beans and the beef with its broth, and salt only now.
⏱ 9 min -
7
Final simmer
Cook over low heat for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens and the flavours marry. Scatter the coriander over two minutes before serving.
⏱ 23 min
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Tips that actually matter
- No salt and no tomato until the beans are tender — both block softening.
- Fry the tomato paste for 5 minutes until it darkens; that is what gives the sauce its colour.
- Beans and beef cook separately and only meet at the end.
- It improves on the second day — make a big batch and keep it.
People also ask
Why do my beans stay hard?
Salt or tomato went in too early. Both strengthen the cell wall and stop the beans absorbing water. Boil them in plain water until tender, then add the sauce and salt.
Can I use tinned beans?
Yes, and the cooking time drops sharply. Rinse them well of their liquid and add them in the last 15 minutes only, with the sauce and cooked meat — any longer and they turn to mush.
How do I reduce bloating?
Soak for 12 hours and throw the soaking water away, then boil in fresh water. Adding cumin or a bay leaf helps digestion and improves the flavour at the same time.
Cook mode
White Beans With Beef, Done Properly
-
1
Soak overnight
Soak the beans in plenty of water for 12 hours, then discard the soaking water. Soaking halves the cooking time and removes the sugars that cause bloating.
-
2
Boil in plain water
Boil them in fresh water with a bay leaf for 60 minutes with no salt and no tomato until tender enough to crush between your fingers.
-
3
Brown the beef
Dry the beef cubes and brown them in the ghee in small batches over high heat until deeply coloured. A crowded pan steams rather than browns.
-
4
Simmer the beef
Add an onion, cardamom, bay and water to cover, and cook 60 minutes over low heat until tender. Beef and beans cook separately.
-
5
Fry the paste
In a pot, fry the second onion in ghee for 8 minutes, then add the garlic, tomato paste and spices and fry 5 minutes until the paste darkens and releases its oil.
-
6
Bring it together
Add the grated tomatoes and cook 5 minutes, then add the cooked beans and the beef with its broth, and salt only now.
-
7
Final simmer
Cook over low heat for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens and the flavours marry. Scatter the coriander over two minutes before serving.
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