Plant-based

Salsa Macha Black Beans

Name: Salsa Macha Black Beans
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 3 tins (720g drained) black beans, rinsed; 2 (300g) onions, diced; 7 cloves (35g) garlic, 4 crushed, 3 thinly sliced; 1 × 400g tin chopped tomatoes; 200g tinned sweetcorn, drained; 4g (2 tsp) ground cumin; 2g (1 tsp) dried oregano; 1 cube vegetable stock cube; 250ml water; 30ml lime juice; 2 (10g) dried chipotle chillies, stems removed, torn; 1 (15g) dried ancho chillies, stem and seeds removed, torn; 40g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped; 10g sesame seeds; 75ml rapeseed oil

Black beans and sweetcorn in a cumin and tomato sauce, finished with a smoky salsa macha-style oil of dried chillies, peanuts, sesame and garlic.

makes 23 blocks, about 22p each

Jump to recipe

Illustration of a bowl of Salsa Macha Black Beans

Time: 50 min15 min prep · 35 min cook
Makes: 23 blocks
Cost per blockPer block: 22p
Calories per blockCalories: 97 kcal
Spice

Ingredients

Batch size

blocks

3 tins (720g drained)black beans, rinsed
2 (300g)onions, diced
7 cloves (35g)garlic, 4 crushed, 3 thinly sliced
1 × 400g tinchopped tomatoes
200gtinned sweetcorn, drained
4g (2 tsp)ground cumin
2g (1 tsp)dried oregano
1 cubevegetable stock cube
250mlwater
30mllime juice
2 (10g)dried chipotle chillies, stems removed, torn
1 (15g)dried ancho chillies, stem and seeds removed, torn
40groasted peanuts, roughly chopped
10gsesame seeds
75mlrapeseed oil

Allergens: Peanuts, Sesame. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.

VG
GF
DF
NUTS

Nutrition

estimated

	1 block	3 blocks
Energy	97 kcal	291 kcal
Protein	3.8g	11.4g
Carbs	10.3g	30.9g
Fat	4.7g	14.1g
Fibre	3.4g	10.2g
Salt	0.25g	0.75g

Method

Step 1: Make the macha: warm 60ml of the oil in a large, deep pan over a low-medium heat. Fry the sliced garlic and peanuts for 3 minutes until pale golden, then add the chillies and sesame seeds for 30–60 seconds until the chillies darken slightly. Don't let them burn.
Step 2: Tip everything into a heatproof bowl. Once cool, crush to a coarse paste with a pestle or chop finely.
Step 3: Add the rest of the oil to the same pan and soften the onions over a medium heat for 8 minutes. Add the crushed garlic, cumin and oregano for 1 minute.
Step 4: Add the tomatoes, beans, stock cube and water and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, mashing about a third of the beans to thicken.
Step 5: Stir in the sweetcorn and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir through the macha and lime juice and season with salt.
Step 6: Cool and freeze in 70g blocks.

Hotter: add a third chipotle, or ½ tsp cayenne, to the macha.

Serve it

Warm tortillas with pickled red onion and avocado · Rice with a squeeze of lime and dairy-free yoghurt · Spooned over a jacket sweet potato

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per block	97	3.8g	10.3g	4.7g	3.4g	0.25g
Per 3 blocks	291	11.4g	30.9g	14.1g	10.2g	0.75g

Cook’s notes

Make a double batch of macha and keep half in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week (garlic in oil must not sit at room temperature), to spoon over eggs, rice or tacos.
For a peanut-free version, use pumpkin seeds instead of the peanuts.

Serve it

Warm tortillas with pickled red onion and avocado · Rice with a squeeze of lime and dairy-free yoghurt · Spooned over a jacket sweet potato.

Freeze, reheat and serve

Freeze: Cool it within two hours, portion it into 70g blocks in a silicone tray, then bag and label them. It keeps for 3 months.
Reheat: Microwave 3 blocks, covered, for 1 minute, stir, then heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until piping hot all the way through. Or warm them in a pan with a splash of water. Never refreeze thawed blocks.
A portion: 3 blocks (210g) make a dinner for one adult: about 291 kcal and 11.4g protein before rice, bread or potatoes.

Salsa Macha Black Beans questions

What is salsa macha?

A Mexican chilli oil made by frying dried chillies, garlic, nuts and seeds in oil. Here it is made in the same pan and stirred through the beans, so its smoky, nutty flavour runs through every block.

Can I use chipotle paste instead of dried chillies?

Yes. Stir 2 tbsp chipotle paste into the hot oil with the peanuts and garlic for the last 30 seconds. The macha will be softer and less nutty-crisp, but just as smoky.

Why fry the chillies so briefly?

Dried chillies scorch in seconds in hot oil and turn bitter. Pull the pan off as soon as they darken a shade and smell toasty.