16 bean soup

ingredients:

half an orange pepper
half a cup of dried 16 bean mix
one dried chile de arbol
one medium onion
one small tomatillo
an inch and a half of ginger
a tablespoonful of coconut milk
a level tablespoonful of dried basil
a teaspoonful of turmeric
a squeeze of lemon

method:

the dried bean mix needs to be soaked overnight. otherwise they don't soften no matter how long they're boiled. so many disasters with dried beans in general, i was beginning to give up. but. success! spectacular success! yay!

beans need to be boiled in unsalted water for at least 20 minutes. maybe more. lots of poking individual beans with a fork to check firmness is called for. i add the turmeric right before i start adding the veggies. i save the ginger, basil, salt and chile for the last, right before the coconut milk. then i turn the heat off and let everything stew in the residual warmth from the beans.

i like my ginger chewy and almost raw. i don't peel it, but rather just sort of brush it vigorously under running water. i also don't grate it finely so that it sort of disappears during the cooking process. i like the crunchy bits of rough chopped ginger in my food and i put it in almost everything i cook, always at the very end like a garnish. i'd put fresh coriander too, except they're a hassle to store and clean.