Vegan Feijoada
Wholesome Brazilian Bean Stew Reinvented!
Servings: 6 people
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker (optional, but highly recommended to cut the time of cooking)
Ingredients
For soaking the beans
- 2 cups Dried Black Beans (about 450g, 1 pound)
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda (for soaking the beans)
- 6 cups Water
For cooking
- 6 cups Water
- 3 Dried bay leaves
- 3 Tablespoons Oil
- 2 blocks Smoked Tofu, cubed (about 350g, 0.8 pound)
- 3 cups Pumpkin, cubed (about 400g, 0.9 pound)
- 1 cup Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
- 2 Onions, diced
- 4 Garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tablespoon Worcester Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 2 teaspoons Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
Instructions
- On the night before, soak the beans. In a large bowl, add the 2 cups of beans and 6 cups of water and the baking soda. Let is soak overnight. The next day, drain the water.
- In a pressure cooker, add the beans, 3 bay leaves and the water. Put the pressure cooker on high heat and once the pot gets pressure, let it cook in medium heat for 30 minutes.
- While the beans are cooking, we can start preparing the rest. In a pan on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the onions for about 2 minutes.
- In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and the chopped smoked tofu, cook it for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, spinach and parsley and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and reserve.
- Once the 30 minutes of the pressure cooker is done, open it carefully. Check if the beans are well cooked and soft. Otherwise, put it back on for a few more minutes. If the beans are nicely cooked, combine with all the ingredients you reserved plus the pumpkin. Mix it well. Let it cook for 10 minutes in low heat and the lid open (not under pressure).
- Add all seasonings: salt, black pepper, nutmeg and Worcester sauce. Mix everything well and test the salt. Adjust it if necessary. Let it cook for another 5 minutes.
- Serve it on top of rice, with a side of sliced oranges and vinaigrette (tomato and onion salad).
Notes
Tips:
The best would be to start on the night before, by adding the dried beans in a bowl with cold water. Leave it in the bowl for at least 12 hours. Change the water before cooking.
If you don't have the time or if you forgot to put the beans in water the night before. Add the dried beans to a bowl and add boiling water, enough to cover the beans. Leave it for 5 minutes. Wash the beans under cold water before cooking.
This will help in 2 ways:
- Reduce the beans cooking time
- Reduce the flatulence caused by the beans