Goan Feijoada Kidney Bean Sausage Stew

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups kidney beans (rajma) — soaked overnight
• 200 g Goan chouriço sausage (or any spiced pork sausage) — cut into rounds
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 large onion — finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tomatoes — finely chopped
• 1.5 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• coriander leaves for garnish

Method

1. Soak and cook the beans: Soak kidney beans overnight. Drain and pressure cook with 3 cups water for 10 to 12 whistles until very soft and creamy. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
2. Cook the sausage: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy pot. Add the sausage rounds. Cook on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until they brown and release their spiced fat. Remove and keep aside. The fat released by the sausage is flavoured with the Goan spices inside — keep it in the pot.
3. Cook onion in the sausage fat: Add the finely chopped onion to the same pot with the sausage fat. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes until deep golden.
4. Add ginger, garlic and tomatoes: Add ginger paste and garlic paste — stir 2 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes — cook 6 minutes until broken down.
5. Add spice powders: Turn to low heat. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric. Stir 2 minutes.
6. Add vinegar and sugar: Add vinegar and sugar. Stir — these are the distinctly Goan-Portuguese elements.
7. Add the cooked beans: Add the drained beans and 1 cup of the reserved bean cooking liquid. Stir well.
8. Add the cooked sausage: Add the browned sausage pieces back in.
9. Simmer together: Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the gravy thickens and the beans have absorbed all the flavours. Mash a few beans against the pot wall to thicken the gravy naturally.
10. Serve: Taste and adjust salt — the sausage will have contributed salt already. Scatter coriander leaves. Serve with steamed white rice or Goan pao.
11. Note: Goan Feijoada is directly descended from the Portuguese feijoada — a thick bean and pork stew that is the national dish of Portugal and Brazil. In Goa, the sausage used is the locally made Goan chouriço — a spiced, vinegar-cured pork sausage that is very different from Spanish or Portuguese chorizo. Goan chouriço is available at Goan butcher shops and online. This is a Sunday lunch staple in Catholic Goan households.