Sanjana Modha’s quick and easy recipe for baked beans butter masala
Masala baked beans, tadka baked beans, curried baked beans, spicy baked beans; all avatars of spice-laced baked beans are a mainstay of British Asian kitchens. We were raised on this stuff – use as a toastie filler, to smother jacket potatoes, or scoop them up with roti. Enter baked beans butter masala.
- 2tbsp salted butter plus a little extra to garnish (optional)
- 1 small brown onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
- 1tsp minced ginger
- 1tbsp tomato puree
- 2410 g tins baked beans
- 0.5tsp ground turmeric
- 1tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 4 green cardamom pods smashed open and seeds finely ground
- 3tsp garam masala
- 1small pinch salt
- 150ml single cream
- 2tsp dried fenugreek leaves
- 2tbsp chopped coriander including stalks, to garnish
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then add the onion and saute for three to five minutes, until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic, ginger and tomato puree, and cook for another minute, until aromatic.
- Add all the baked beans, along with all the sauce from the cans, stir in the turmeric, chilli powder, ground cardamom, garam masala and salt, and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Stir in the cream (reserve a few tablespoons to serve), cover the pan with a lid and leave the curry to come to a simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often to stop the beans sticking to the base of the pan.
- Take off the lid and add the dried fenugreek leaves, rubbing them between your palms to break them into a fine powder.
- Swirl in the reserved cream and, if using, the extra butter, garnish with the coriander and serve.
Baked beans butter masala
This creamy, dreamy baked bean curry is delicious with naan or served as any of the suggestions mentioned above. To make this vegan, use your favourite plant-based butter and an oat- or soya-based cream. Coconut milk also works in place of cream.
2 tbsp salted butter, plus a little extra to garnish (optional) 1 small brown onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 1 tsp minced ginger 1
cardamom pods, smashed open and seeds finely ground
tsp garam masala 1 small pinch salt
tbsp chopped coriander, including stalks, to garnish
- This recipe is an edited extract from Modern Masala, by Sanjana Modha, published by Quadrille at £25. To order a copy for £22.50, go to guardianbookshop.com.
