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Coconut Beans

Coconut Beans is a fragrant, creamy Nigerian bean dish where beans are cooked in fresh coconut milk instead of water, absorbing the natural sweetness and aroma of the coconut throughout the cooking process. The result is beans of extraordinary creaminess and fragrance — mildly sweet, deeply satisfying and with a distinctive coconut perfume that elevates a humble ingredient to something quite special.

Coconut Beans, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 2 big cups of honey beans, soaked overnight
  • 1 large tin of coconut milk OR fresh coconut milk from 1 big coconut
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 2 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 Tatashe (red bell pepper), blended
  • 2 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
  • 2 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste
  • Fresh thyme or bay leaves — optional
  • Water as needed

Method

  1. 01

    First Boiling of Beans. Drain soaked beans. Boil in plain water with sliced onion for 30 minutes until half-cooked. Drain. This first boiling removes some of the gas-causing compounds.

  2. 02

    Frying the Pepper Base. Heat oil in a wide pot. Add remaining sliced onion and fry 2 minutes. Add blended Tatashe and Atarodo. Fry for 8 minutes.

  3. 03

    Adding Coconut Milk and Beans. Add the coconut milk to the fried pepper. Add enough water to cover the beans. Add the half-cooked beans, thyme, bay leaves, seasoning cubes and salt. Stir well. Bring to a boil.

  4. 04

    Cooking to Completion. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook covered for 30 to 40 minutes until the beans are completely tender and have absorbed the coconut milk, becoming creamy and deeply fragrant. Add more water if needed during cooking. Taste and adjust all seasonings.

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