Samp and beans
A generous family dish of dried cracked white maize and red kidney beans, brought together in a thick vegetable sauce. This household interpretation for 4 people favors tender grains, natural thickening and gentle seasoning, without claiming an exclusively Namibian origin.
Ingredients
- 300 g samp: dried hulled and cracked white maize, not precooked
- 250 g dried red kidney beans
- 150 g onion
- 150 g carrot
- 200 g tomato
- 10 g garlic
- 20 ml vegetable oil
- 3 g sweet paprika
- 1 g ground black pepper
- 6 g salt
- 4000 ml water for cooking, plus cold water for soaking
Preparation
The day before, sort the samp and beans separately to remove stones and damaged grains. Rinse each batch, put it in a separate container and cover generously with cold water. Soak for 12 h in the refrigerator at 4 °C or below. Keep the grains submerged: they swell considerably. This soaking is included in the stated time, rather than being an optional preparation.
On cooking day, drain the 2 batches and discard all the soaking water. Rinse again. During the 20 min of active preparation, weigh the seasonings, chop the onion and garlic, dice the carrot finely and cut the tomato into pieces. Prepare 2 saucepans large enough to prevent boilovers, with their lids nearby.
Put the beans in a saucepan with 2000 ml fresh water. Bring to a full boil, then maintain a vigorous boil for at least 30 min before any gentle cooking. Do not taste the beans at this stage. Watch for boilovers without reducing the heat enough to lose this boil; skim if necessary.
At the same time, put the samp in the other saucepan with 1500 ml fresh water. Bring to a boil, then simmer partially covered for approximately 80 to 105 min, until the pieces have swollen and are tender all the way through. Stir regularly, gently scraping the bottom. Reserve the remaining 500 ml water to top up the saucepans if the grains become exposed.
After the beans have boiled vigorously for 30 min, lower the heat and simmer for approximately another 55 to 70 min. Keep them covered with liquid, without stirring roughly. After this stage, check several beans: their insides must be uniformly soft, without a hard, chalky center. Continue cooking if necessary; actual tenderness always takes priority over the schedule.
When the grains are nearly tender, drain the samp if necessary and keep it covered. Take some of the bean liquid into a bowl before draining the beans. In the now-empty samp saucepan, heat the oil; soften the onion and carrot for 8 min over medium heat, without browning them heavily.
Add the garlic, paprika and pepper, stir for 1 min, then add the tomato. Cook for 6 min, crushing the pieces with the spoon. Add a little of the reserved liquid if the mixture sticks. Add the beans only once they are completely tender: the tomato's acidity must not slow their initial cooking.
Return the samp and beans to this base. Add the salt and enough reserved liquid to make a soft mixture, but not a soup. Simmer together for 5 min, gently folding the grains. Mash a few beans against the side to thicken naturally, then taste and divide among 4 bowls. 🍲