Where do herbs come in? During slow cooking, beans absorb flavours to produce a succulent dish, which means that when herbs are added you get to enjoy all their subtle flavours.
A QUICK GUIDE TO COMBINING HERBS WITH BEANS
In general, most beans go well with herbs like parsley, rosemary, sage, savory and thyme.
For meaty dishes with beans, add rosemary, sage, marjoram, oregano, bay leaves or basil.
For bean salads and dips, only use chopped fresh herbs.
Black beans are often used in Mexican cuisine, so they go well with chilli peppers, fresh coriander, cumin, oregano, parsley, savory and thyme.
Cannellini beans are more associated with French cuisine, which favours tarragon, sage, parsley and thyme.
Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are a large part of Middle Eastern cuisine, especially hummus, in which they are combined with tahini (ground sesame seeds). They are enhanced by spicy herbs like fresh coriander, cumin, fennel, garlic and ginger, as well as the fresh flavours of mint, parsley and rosemary.
Kidney beans are a staple of warming winter stews and soups, and they combine with robust herbs like bay leaf, cumin, fennel, oregano, sage, savory and thyme.
Lentils are a vegan standby and a marvellous alternative for meat-free Mondays. Being so versatile, lentils can be combined with a large range of herbs and spices: bay leaf, cardamom, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, ginger, mint, parsley, oregano and thyme.
This story is from the June 2020 edition of The Gardener.
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This story is from the June 2020 edition of The Gardener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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