How to cook beans and corn pottage with coconut

Beans and Corn Pottage with Coconut

You know that feeling you get when Christmas or Summer is coming to an end? Well, i am starting to feel something close to that. Soon, we’ll be waiting another one year to see corn being boiled or roasted in every street corner! Sigh! I have enjoyed this particular corn season really well, having my fair share of dinners of just plain good old corn and coconut or ube (also called african pear, safou or butterfruit)! I found corn and ube to be very satisfying on it own; soft boiled and crispy corn with rich, smooth, buttery, sour pear; you need nothing else in the mix i tell ya! (bites into corn and licks ube and fingers!) 🙂

Now, before all that fresh corn disappears from the street corners, lets make some beans and corn shall we? I mean, i know you can do it with some canned sweet corn and all but lets use some soft fresh corn because its oh so satisfying and while we are at it, lets add some coconut milk and some fresh coconut strips if you will because coconut goes so well with beans as well as corn, of course!

I remember having beans and corn for the first time in boarding school. At the time, beans was no where near my favorite meal but i particularly liked the beans and corn we used to get served in the dining room, it was one of the very few things i liked about boarding school. The fact that i still like it very much now has convinced me that it wasn’t hunger that caused me to like it many years ago in one girls boarding school surrounded by bushes in a town called Sagamu! 🙂

This recipe for beans and corn was a delight to make and eat! Its a simple recipe that combines all the additional flavors and ingredients into a sauce which is then added and combined with the plain cooked beans and corn. The important thing is to have your beans cooked very soft while the corn should still be crisp or have a bite to it so the addition of the corn into the beans will depend largely on the type of corn being used. Here, i have used corn kernels from our regular Nigerian corn on the cob which went into the pot about 20 minutes into the cooking time of the beans. When i use canned sweet corn kernels, i add this at the end of the cooking time and allow it just a few minutes to heat through with the beans. The coconut milk adds richness and a lovely flavor and if you do top it with some fresh coconut strips while serving, i will blow you a kiss and say thank you! 🙂

Here goes the print ready recipe. Enjoy!

Beans and Corn Pottage with Coconut

Rich and delicious beans and corn pottage made with a rich tomato, coconut and smoked mackerel fish sauce

Author: Ify

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 350 grams Nigerian Brown Beans or Black Eyed Peas
• 2 Medium Fresh Corn On the Cob (Substitute with Sweet Corn, fresh or canned but add much later during cooking time if using)
• 100 mls Red Palm Oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 medium Onion (chopped)
• 70 grams Tomato Paste
• 11/2 tsp Salt
• 11/2 tsp Chili/Dry Pepper Powder
• 2 Stock Cubes (4 grams each)
• 4 tbsp Ground Dry Crayfish
• 250 mls Coconut Milk
• 1 smoked Mackerel Fish (Deboned and Flaked) (reduce salt if using heavily salted smoked mackerel)
• Fresh Coconut Strips and sliced Spring Onions to Serve

Instructions

1. Using the quick soak method, sort/pick the beans and rinse. Place the beans in a medium saucepan with about 1 liter to 1.25 liters of water. Bring to a rapid boil on medium-high heat; boil 2 more minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain, discard the water used in soaking and then rinse the beans.
2. Add about 600 mls of fresh water to the beans. Cover and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Once it starts to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer gently with lid tilted. Meanwhile, remove the corn husks and slice off the corn kernels using a sharp knife. Add the corn kernels to the beans about 20 minutes into the cooking time of the beans and cook for an an additional 40 minutes or until beans is soft and tender and corn is cooked, stirring occasionally. Stir very little to prevent breaking of skins. Feel free to add water a little at a time if needed.
3. While the beans and corn cook, pour the palm oil into a saucepan and place on medium heat, add onions and fry until onion softens and browns a little (do not burn). Reduce heat to low then add tomato paste, salt, pepper, stock cubes and crayfish and stir to combine. Add coconut milk and allow to simmer for about 3 minutes then stir in smoked mackerel fish. Take off the heat.
4. Once the beans and corn is cooked, pour the coconut, tomato and fish sauce into the beans and corn, stir to combine, allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, take of the heat and serve topped with fresh coconut strips and spring onions.