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This Afghan-style bean curry is a simple plant-based dish that works well for family dinners and group meals. It uses kidney beans simmered in a spiced tomato sauce made with onions, garlic, and dried mint. The beans make it high in protein, and the recipe is naturally gluten-free when served with rice, quinoa, and other grains.
The recipe is from We Cook Plants by Sarah Bentley and Made in Hackney. It shows how a few pantry staples can come together quickly to make a dish that feels both nourishing and filling. The bulk of the flavor comes from toasting cumin, coriander, and mint before blending them with tomatoes into a smooth, fragrant base. This is combined with golden fried onions and garlic, stock, and red beans.
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The curry takes about 50 minutes from start to finish, with the bulk of this time spent gently simmering ingredients. As a result, you can prep sides while it bubbles away on the stove, making it ideal for busy weeknights. It’s suitable for batch cooking and freezes well. Serve with basmati, brown rice, or flatbreads, and finish with fresh coriander and chopped red onion.
Prepare your Afghan-style bean curry
Ingredients
- 2 x 400g cans kidney beans
- 2 tablespoons rapeseed/canola oil
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin/jeera
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes
- 2 red onions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 300 ml vegetable stock
- Pinch of sea salt
- Pinch of black pepper
To serve and garnish
- Your choice of grain such as basmati rice, short-grain brown rice, or noodles (I usually do basmati rice with ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder to give it a lovely yellow color)
- Small bunch of fresh coriander/cilantro
- 1 red onion
Instructions
- Drain and rinse your cans of kidney beans and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the rapeseed/canola oil to a large saucepan or stew pot and warm it up on a medium heat for 1 minute.
- When it’s hot, add the ground coriander and cumin. When they smell fragrant, add the dried mint and the canned tomatoes.
- Mash the tomatoes down with a fork. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, finely dice your red onions and thinly slice your garlic.
- Use a hand-held/immersion blender to blend the tomatoes and spices into a smooth sauce. Empty the sauce into a bowl and set aside, then rinse your pan/pot out ready for the next step.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan/pot and warm up on a medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden.
- Next add the garlic and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t burn.
- Once the onions are nice and caramelized, add the vegetable stock, spiced tomato sauce, kidney beans, salt and black pepper.
- Simmer, uncovered, on a low heat for about 15 minutes. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Pop your grain of choice on to cook now while the dish is simmering.
- Now prepare your garnish. Chop your fresh coriander/cilantro and dice your red onion. Garnish the curry with the coriander and chopped onion and serve with your cooked grain of choice. It looks really beautiful served with yellow basmati rice cooked with ground turmeric, a pinch of black pepper and a few saffron threads if you have it.
Recipes republished with permission from We Cook Plants, by Sarah Bentley & Made in Hackney (Watkins Media, Nourish Books). Publication date: October 2025. £30.00 Hardback. Main Food Photography copyright © Sarah Doig. Reportage photography copyright © Marcus Duran. Available to preorder now.
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