This beauty is one I developed a few years back in Northern Ireland when I was struggling to get my kids to eat what I would call “good” food. They would only eat black beans if they were somehow refried, cooked with a ham bone, or fermented. The latter method is my favorite because fermenting gives everything a kick as well as giving you a boost of probiotics. It also keeps in the fridge for months without spoiling! Not that a jar lasts that long in my home… but I tend to make giant batches and put them into jars to store for when I fancy them.
The great thing about this method is that fermenting destroys a lot of lectins, which are anti-nutrients. On top of that, if you cook beans in an instant pot, all the lectins are obliterated in 30 minutes. I love that, but also love the convenience. I gave up cooking them on the stove top years ago because I was always burning them… and burned beans smell disgusting. Right?! (Yes.)
So this recipe is what I would affectionately call a paleo hack as well as a plant paradox win, having managed to make it lectin-free.
Enjoy!
Notes:
You can find the recipe for the cultured onion brine here, and I use this 8 Qt Instant Pot and this Cuisinart 14 Cup Food Processor for all my hummus and dip recipes.
Cultured Black Bean Dip (Vegan, Paleo Hacked)
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 250 grams dried black or turtle beans
- 4-6 cloves roasted garlic fresh is fine
- ½ cup cultured onion brine (with onions is fine)
- 1/4 cup lime juice juice of one lemon
- 1/2 bunch organic cilantro
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon pink salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ - ½ cup avocado oil poured over top to seal out bacteria
Instructions
- Weigh your dried beans and put in a container, cover with water and let soak overnight to start to break down lectins for rinsing. (I will often do a double batch/500g)
- Rinse your soaked beans and put in an instant pot or pressure cooker for 30 minutes to obliterate the lectins and prepare for fermenting.
- Strain off most of the liquid, saving about a cup in the bottom to adjust the recipe if necessary and then add the beans to the food processer.
- Put the rest of the ingredients in a food processor (hold out the extra virgin olive oil) and process until smooth.
- If serving immediately, spoon into a bowl and stir in 2 Tbsp avocado oil. Serve with crudité platter or chips.
- If fermenting, hold out the oil until the very end. Transfer hummus to a 2-3 litre clip top jar, cover with the olive oil and clamp closed. Slowly rotate the jar until the oil seals the entire empty surface. Leave to ferment for 2-3 days depending on your preference. It will be cultured after 24 hours but you will have a stronger bite and more gut healthy bacteria after 2 or 3 days. It is an acquired taste so if you're new start with 1-2 days. Once finished, stir the avocado oil in and store in a 1 liter glass jar in the fridge.
- Pro Tip: Make sure your jar is at minimum 1 1/2 times the capacity of your culture. Double is best. If your jar is too small it will grow right out of the jar and all over your kitchen counter.
