Indonesian Curried Bean Stew: Mmm … Fiber

Let's cut to the chase: there are 18.7 grams of fiber in each portion of this stew. That’s more than a regulation can of black beans or a serving of Fiber One cereal, which has “fiber” RIGHT THERE IN THE TITLE. There are wheat fields with less roughage, and upon scarfing a bowl, I was reminded of this SNL gem from the ‘90s:



While the calories and fat are a little high, no doctor, nutritionist, or Oprah in America would call this an unhealthy dish. Beany? Yes. Energy-packed? Of course. Farty? Most definitely. But unhealthy? No. It’s a meatless, dairy-less, powerhouse that will keep you sated (and, er, regular) clear into next week

This is to say nothing of the taste. The stew’s a sweeter variation of Curried Black Beans and Chickpeas, defined mostly by the inclusion of peanut butter, a bell pepper, and a little cilantro. (For some reason, I can see raisins working very well here, too.) I’m not sure if that makes it Indonesian, per se, but it does make it flavorful and a nice change-up from the standard curry dish. Speaking of curry, you can change the quantity however you like. I’m a 2 teaspoon girl myself, which was just enough so it wasn’t overwhelming.

Further proof of the stew’s goodness: the recipe comes from The Boyfriend’s mom, who picked it up from a friend, who read it in either the Toledo Blade or Recipe Zaar. That’s four different four-star reviews right there. And if you can’t trust The Boyfriend’s mom, who can you trust?

So go forth and fiber up, folks. The dish is aces. (Er, just make sure you don’t drink any coffee with it. I’m just saying.)

Indonesian Curried Bean Stew
Makes about 6 cups of stew – 4 main servings, or 6 sides
Adapted from Recipe Zaar, and possibly the Toledo Blade

1-1/2 cups brown rice, uncooked
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion (for about 1 cup chopped)
1 large bell pepper (for about 1 ½ c. chopped) (I used red – Kris)
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 15-oz. can light red kidney beans, UNdrained
1 14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
1 15-oz.can chickpeas, drained
3 Tbs. peanut butter
½ to 1-1/2 tablespoons curry powder (depending on your taste)
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger root (or 1 tsp. bottled fresh)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Cook rice according to package directions.

2) While rice cooks, get out a large, nonstick skillet. Add oil and heat over medium heat. Add onion. Cook 3 or 4 minutes, until starting to soften, stirring occasionally. Add pepper. Cook 3 or 4 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic. Cook 30 to 60 seconds, until fragrant, stirring frequently.

3) Add tomatoes, kidney beans, and kidney bean juice, "breaking up any large tomato pieces with a spoon." Stir. Add chickpeas, black beans, peanut butter, curry powder, cumin, and ginger. Stir gently, until peanut butter is thoroughly blended. Drop heat to low.  Simmer about 10 minutes.

4) Kill heat. Stir in cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, and Price Per Serving
4 SERVINGS: 637 calories, 13.7 g fat, 18.7 g fiber, $1.22
6 SERVINGS: 425 calories, 9.1 g fat, 12.4 g fiber, $0.82

Calculations
1 cup brown rice, uncooked: 685 calories, 5.4 g fat, 6.5 g fiber, $0.32
1 Tbs. olive oil: 119 calories, 13.5 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.11
1 large onion (for about 1 cup chopped): 63 calories, 0.2 g fat, 0.1 g fiber, $0.25
1 large bell pepper (for about 1 ½ c. chopped): 43 calories, 0.5 g fat, 3.4 g fiber. $0.48
2 tsp. minced garlic: 8 calories, 0 g fat, 0.1 g fiber, $0.08
1 15-oz. can light red kidney beans: 367 calories, 2.7 g fat, 19.3 g fiber, $0.66
1 14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes: 107 calories, 0.8 g fat, 4.1 g fiber, $0.79
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained: 350 calories, 1.8 g fat, 17.5 g fiber, $0.66
1 15-oz.can chickpeas, drained: 500 calories, 4.6 g fat, 18.5 g fiber, $0.75
3 Tbs. peanut butter: 282 calories, 24.2 g fat, 2.9 g fiber; $0.08
1 tablespoon curry powder (depending on your taste): 20 calories, 0.9 g fat, 2.1 g fiber, $0.10
1 Tbs. ground cumin: negligible calories, fat, or fiber, $0.05
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger root (or 1 tsp. bottled fresh): 2 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, $0.06
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional): 1 calorie, 0 g fat, 0.1 g fiber, $0.49
Salt and pepper to taste: negligible calories, fat, or fiber, $0.02
TOTAL: 2547 calories, 54.7 g fat, 74.6 g fiber, $4.90
4 SERVINGS: 637 calories, 13.7 g fat, 18.7 g fiber, $1.22
6 SERVINGS: 425 calories, 9.1 g fat, 12.4 g fiber, $0.82