Red beans makes the perfect side dish for rice and you can make perfect, delicious red beans using dried small red beans for lunch or dinner very easily!
Southern style red beans and rice is a very popular dish, but in this easy, basic recipe on how to cook small red beans (adzuki beans or red chori beans or red cowpeas), we will see how to cook red beans easily on stove top using a pan or pot.
You can make seasoned red beans and enjoy it as a nutritious beans side dish with rice or pasta for lunch or dinner or you can make it into a delicious soup by adding few more ingredients.
What Are Red Beans?
Red beans come in different varieties.
Large red beans, also known as red kidney beans or rajma beans is a popular variety of red beans used in many cuisines including American, Indian cuisines.
Red kidney beans is available as dark red kidney beans and light red kidney beans.
They require soaking in water prior to cooking and they are often cooked using pressure cookers, slow cookers, instant pot etc.
Another much more easier to cook variety of red beans is the small red beans, which is what we are using in this recipe, as it can be easily cooked on stove top using a pan or pot as well.
However, cooking this small red beans is even more easier using a pressure cooker or instant pot, as it reduces the cooking time for the beans.
This small red beans is known as adzuki beans or red cowpeas and they are also known by names red chori or simply red beans.
Small red beans or adzuki beans is so much more easier to cook than red kidney beans and it is high in protein, fibers and very nutritious and delicious as well!
Red adzuki beans is often used to make red bean curry and other side dishes like bean stir fry.
So here is how you can easily cook small red beans or adzuki beans at home!
How To Cook Red Adzuki Beans?
To cook small red beans or adzuki beans, we can use the following ingredients.
ingredients
small red beans (dried adzuki beans) 1.5 cups
salt adjust to taste
water 4 cups (or you may use broth)
garlic powder 1 teaspoon
dried minced onions ½ cup
onion powder 1 teaspoon
oil 2 tablespoons
To make soup (optional):
spinach leaves 6 oz
turmeric powder ½ teaspoon (optional)
paprika or red chili powder 1 teaspoon
heavy cream ½ cup (optional)
lemon juice 2 tablespoons (or use 1 cup fined chopped fresh tomatoes or 2 tablespoons tomato based sauce)
Step by step instructions
Wash the beans very well and soak in water for at least ½ an hour.
Discard the water used for soaking, rinse the beans again and place in a large or medium sized saucepan.
Add water, salt, garlic, onion powders and minced onion.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stir the contents well.
Cover the pan with lid, reduce the heat and simmer the beans in medium to low heat for about 50 to 60 minutes until the beans is well cooked and soft.
It is a good idea to check the beans after about 40 to 45 minutes time if you do not want very soft beans.
To make soup (optional)
Add washed spinach leaves to cooked beans, cover and cook in medium heat for another 5 to 6 minutes (you may add one more cup of water or as needed, if there is little water left in the pan).
Once the spinach is also cooked, remove the lid and add spices and lemon juice (or tomatoes or tomato based sauce) too, simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes until ingredients are all well combined.
Add heavy cream (if using), gently mix in to combine with the soup, turn off the heat and serve the soup while it’s still hot, enjoy!
Pressure cooker method:
Add all ingredients (not the optional ingredients for soup) to a large sized pressure cooker (5 quart or 6 quart).
Close the pressure cooker with the safety valve in position and correctly following the instructions based on the manual.
Cook in high heat until the steam begins to release, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes.
Once it is done, turn off the heat and allow the pressure cooker to cool down.
Once the cooker is cooled enough, carefully open the lid and stir the contents, simmer if necessary. If you need more water, you can add and simmer to your preference.
Also, if you want to make the soup, you can add the optional ingredients and cook for another few more minutes to the preferred consistency (without using lid) and stir in the heavy cream also at the end to make it more creamy.
Instant Pot Method:
Add all ingredients to instant pot pressure cooker (not the optional soup ingredients).
Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position, cook in high pressure for 9 minutes.
Once cooking is done, press cancel button and wait for a natural pressure release.
Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid and stir the contents.
If needed, you may add little more water, press saute button and simmer the contents for aother 1 to 2 minutes.
If you want to make the soup, you can add the ingredients for the soup, press saute and simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes and then stir in the heavy cream once it is done (press cancel button to stop sauteeing)!
Easy Bean & Lentil Recipes:
Below you can get the recipe for cooking small red beans in detail.
How To Cook Red Adzuki Beans?
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups red adzuki beans dried small red beans
- salt adjust to taste
- 4 cups water or you may use broth
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup dried minced onions
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons oil
To make soup (optional):
- 6 oz spinach leaves
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder optional
- 1 teaspoon paprika or red chili powder
- ½ cup heavy cream optional
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice or use 1 cup fined chopped fresh tomatoes or 2 tablespoons tomato based sauce
Instructions
- Wash the beans very well and soak in water for at least ½ an hour.
- Discard the water used for soaking, rinse the beans again and place in a large or medium sized saucepan.
- Add water, salt, garlic, onion powders and minced onion.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stir the contents well.
- Cover the pan with lid, reduce the heat and simmer the beans in medium to low heat for about 50 to 60 minutes until the beans is well cooked and soft. It is a good idea to check the beans after about 40 to 45 minutes time if you do not want very soft beans.
To make soup (optional)
- Add washed spinach leaves to cooked beans, cover and cook in medium heat for another 5 to 6 minutes (you may add one more cup of water or as needed, if there is little water left in the pan).
- Once the spinach is also cooked, remove the lid and add spices and lemon juice (or tomatoes or tomato based sauce) too, simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes until ingredients are all well combined.
- Add heavy cream (if using), gently mix in to combine with the soup, turn off the heat and serve the soup while it’s still hot, enjoy!
Pressure cooker method:
- Add all ingredients (not the optional ingredients for soup) to a large sized pressure cooker (5 quart or 6 quart).
- Close the pressure cooker with the safety valve in position and correctly following the instructions based on the manual.
- Cook in high heat until the steam begins to release, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes.
- Once it is done, turn off the heat and allow the pressure cooker to cool down.
- Once the cooker is cooled enough, carefully open the lid and stir the contents, simmer if necessary. If you need more water, you can add and simmer to your preference.
- Also, if you want to make the soup, you can add the optional ingredients and cook for another few more minutes to the preferred consistency (without using lid) and stir in the heavy cream also at the end to make it more creamy.
Instant Pot Method:
- Add all ingredients to instant pot pressure cooker (not the optional soup ingredients).
- Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position, cook in high pressure for 9 minutes.
- Once cooking is done, press cancel button and wait for a natural pressure release.
- Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid and stir the contents.
- If needed, you may add little more water, press saute button and simmer the contents for aother 1 to 2 minutes.
- If you want to make the soup, you can add the ingredients for the soup, press saute and simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes and then stir in the heavy cream once it is done (press cancel button to stop sauteeing) !
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