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Dombrés aux haricots rouges
Dombrés: little flour dumplings simmered in red beans
Dombrés are the small rolled flour dumplings that Guianese Creole cooks in Cayenne and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni drop into a pot of red kidney beans, so they swell and soak up the herb-scented sauce. In French Guiana and the Antilles the beans are often cooked with salted pork tail or smoked meat; this version leaves out the meat and uses smoked paprika, onion, chives, thyme and cloves for depth, making a hearty vegan dinner with rice. Dried kidney beans must be boiled hard for 10 minutes before simmering to destroy a natural toxin, so don't skip that step or cook them in a slow cooker from raw. Dumplings that fall apart are the usual problem: keep the dough firm and the pot at a gentle simmer once they go in. Chef's tip: roll each dombré between your palms into a small torpedo; that shape cooks evenly and holds together.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the beans
- 10 ½ oz dried red kidney beanssoaked overnight
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 4 cloves garlicchopped
- 1 bunch chives or spring onionchopped
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 scotch bonnet chilliwhole
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 6 ¼ cups water
For the dombrés
- 7 oz plain flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup water
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Drain 10 ½ oz dried red kidney beans, cover with fresh water and boil hard for 10 minutes, then drain.
10 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot and fry 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic and half of 0.5 bunch chives or spring onion until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tbsp tomato purée for 1 minute.
6 minStep 3: Add the beans, 6 ¼ cups water, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves, 3 whole cloves and 1 scotch bonnet chilli (whole, so it scents rather than burns). Simmer, partly covered, until the beans are completely soft and the liquid is creamy, about 1 hour. Add 1 ½ tsp salt near the end.
60 minStep 4: Meanwhile mix 7 oz plain flour, ¼ tsp salt and ½ cup water into a firm, smooth dough. Knead for 2 minutes, cover and rest for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 5: Pinch off cherry-sized pieces and roll each between your palms into a little torpedo about 5 cm long.
Step 6: Mash a ladle of beans against the side of the pot to thicken the sauce. Drop in the dombrés, cover and simmer gently, stirring once or twice, until they are swollen and cooked through with no floury centre, 20–25 minutes.
25 minStep 7: Remove the pepper, bay and thyme stalks, stir in the rest of 0.5 bunch chives or spring onion and serve with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 16 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dombrés aux haricots rouges take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 105 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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