“Cook me, freeze me, reheat me and I will be as delicious as if you had just cooked me. I never, ever get soggy!”
This traditional recipe from Haiti is also known as “Pois en Sauce”.
Serves: Approx. 2
Preparation time: Approx. 5 minutes
Cooking time: Approx. 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of Pearled Wondergrain
- 2 cups of water
- 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Basic cooking instructions: Rinse before use
- In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
- Add 1/2 cup of pearled Wondergrain sorghum, 1/2 TBSP of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and bring back to a full boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium.
- Reduce heat to low when water is at the level of the grain. Cook until water dries completely and the grain has puffed up. Fluff up with a fork. Grain will be tender with a pleasant bite.
TIPS:
- Grain must cook for at least 35mns.Avoid using a large saucepan if cooking small amounts, as water will evaporate too quickly. Keep covered during cooking process. May substitute water with chicken, beef or vegetable broth for more flavor.
- For a softer bite, add more liquid or leave on the stop top on very low heat for an additional 10 minutes.
- If cooked ahead of time and frozen or refrigerated, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop to loosen up the grain. Add some moisture or olive oil or butter if a bit dry to your taste. Fluff up with a fork. Grain will not be soggy.
- If a bit pasty because you’ve used too much liquid or cooked it too long, just spread open on a plate. Once it cools down, fluff up with a fork.
Wondergrain 1/2 cup 1 cup 2 cups 3 cups
Liquid 2 cups 3 cups 6 cups 8 cups
Servings 2 4 8 12
FOR THE BEAN SAUCE
Serves: Approx. 8 to 10
Prep time: Approx. 10minutes
Cooking time: Approx. 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 leek, white part roughly chopped
- ½ green pepper roughly chopped
- ½ onion roughly chopped
- 6 large garlic cloves
- 2 cups dried black beans or 1 pack of 14 ounces, rinsed
- 8 cups of water (you will probably need to add more during cooking process)
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon of ground clove
- 1 large cube of chicken bouillon (use vegetable bouillon for vegetarian)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- In a large saucepan, heat oil on medium heat.
- Sauté leek, pepper, onion and garlic until slightly brown (be careful not to burn). Add beans, water and thyme. Bring to a boil on high then cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 30mns. Check water level and add 3 more cups of hot water. We need the liquid.
- Cook another 30mns and check the water level. You will probably have to add 2 to 3 cups of hot water, depending on how low the liquid is. Then cook until beans are soft, approximately 45 more minutes.
- Once beans are cooked, put everything in the blender, except 1/4 of the grains of beans and liquefy. Pass through the strainer.
- Bring back to the saucepan with the beans that were saved, add clove and cube of bouillon. Stir well to dissolve cube.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste, stir and cook on medium/low heat approximately 10 more minutes to desired consistency.
- You want it to be thick to coat the back of a spoon, but not like a paste.
TIPS:
- The age of the beans, variety and size can affect the cooking time.
- Soaking the beans overnight may help soften the beans and possibly reduce cooking time, but it is not absolutely necessary. Discard the water and use fresh water to cook.
- Since the beans take so long to cook, prepare enough and freeze the rest. To reheat, defrost and add some water if too thick.
- For great flavor, add smoked ham hocks during cooking process.
- For a mild spicy touch, add a whole Habanero or Scotch Bonnet pepper when puree is returned to the stove for the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time. Do not puncture or cut the pepper unless you want it very spicy.
- Don’t overdo it with the clove as its flavor may overpower the dish. It is used merely as a flavor enhancer.
Wondergrain Rice & Pressure Cooker Instructions
Rice Cooker capacity: 6-cup
Grain & Water Proportions: 1 cup of Whole Grain & 2¾ cups liquid
Cooking Time: Approximately 1 hour to 1hour and 15 minutes
Rice Cooker capacity: 15-cup
Grain & Water Proportions: 1 cup of Whole grain & 3 to 3½ cups liquid
Cooking Time: Approximately 1 hour to 1hour and 15 minutes
Rice Cooker capacity: 6-cup
Grain & Water Proportions: 1 cup of Pearled & 2 cups of liquid
Cooking Time: Approximately 45 minutes
Rice Cooker capacity: 15-cup
Grain & Water Proportions: 1 cup of Pearled & 2½ cups of liquid
Cooking Time: Approximately 45 minutes
Pressure Cooker: Power Pressure Cooker Pro XL (6 Quart Capacity)
Grain and Water Proportions: 1 cup of Whole grain & 1¾ cups liquid
1 cup of Pearled & 1 cup of liquid.
Cooking Time: Whole Grain approximately 35 minutes
Pearled Grain approximately 18 minutes
Note: Each rice cooker varies in capacity and in heating elements therefore, the instructions above are just guidelines noted based on several cooking experiments.
