Halwa-Puri (poori)

Happy Varamahalaxmi!

Varamahalaxmi virtha is an important Hindu festival  observed on the Friday before the full moon in the month of Shravana by  hindu women and is dedicated to Goddess Laxmi It is mostly celebrated in  many parts of South India and Maharashtra .Women either gather at a nearby temple or  at somebody's home where the puja is arranged. The main puja takes place with holy offerings of flowers, sweets and coins. A semi-circle is created and an idol of Goddess Laxmi is kept in the middle.When the puja gets over women offer fruits, flowers and other holy items and seek blessings of Goddess varamahalaxmi for marital bliss.

Like every year, we celebrate Varamahalaxmi virth with family and friends and lots of yummy dishes are served  and naivaidya in the evening.

So today on this auspicious occasion  i thought of making this easy to make dessert.Sooji ka Halwa /Halwa along with Poori i a indian breakfast delicacy . Halwa is usually served at breakfast with puris and when it comes to festivals like laxmi puja or any other indian festivals Sooji ka halwa is most famous dessert prepared though out india. There is a wide range of recipes for making sooji ka halwa, here is an easier one for you. 

1. 1 cup Semolina (Sooji )
2. 1 cup Sugar 
3. 4 Cardamom ,crushed
4. 2-3 cloves
5. Saffron a pinch
6.  21/2 cups Water
7. Raisins & cashew nuts for garnishing
8.  3/4 cup Clarified butter/Ghee

• In a medium size pot heat clarified butter and fry cloves ,let it splutter.
• Add semolina and stir constantly on low heat till its color turns pale gold and becomes fragrant.
• In  sauce pan add water, sugar, saffron and boil till sugar dissolves. 
• Now pour this sugar syrup over the fried rava and keep stirring and let it cook until most of the moisture is gone. Add the cardamom powder, mix it in, then cover and set on low heat to steam for 2 minutes. 
• Garnish with nuts before serving. 

For the Puris/pooris:

1. Sift the flour, add the baking powder, salt, yoghurt and oil. Gradually add in the warm water and knead to a soft dough. Let it sit for about 20mins, then divide the dough into 10-12 pieces. Roll each one out to about 4 inches diameter.

For soft puris proceed as follows:

1. Heat your oil, make sure it's quite hot. Put in a poori in the hot oil and immediately start splashing hot oil over the top of it with a spoon.
2. Gently press down on the poori with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula, and you will see it start to puff up. If the poori turns dark in less than a minute, the oil is too hot. Reduce the heat of the stove. Gently press down with the spatula, and wait till it puffs completely, it should take only few seconds.
3. Flip the poori over and cook the other side until golden brown.

For crispy Puris, this is what you need to do:

• Before rolling out your pooris, dip each ball into the rava and roll each one out to about 4 inch diameter. This will help puris to become firm and crisp. Fry them in the oil on both sides until golden and remove.
• Drain on paper towels.

Chef Miraj-Ul-Haque style Teekha Murgh

This is the sort of dish that can set your mouth on fire, make your heart beat faster. The punchy flavours of curry leaves, ginger, garlic,pepper and chillies and all the ingredients that make a happy Indian dish.

Source: Foodiestan/Food.ndtv.com

Ingredients:

1. 1kg chicken,cut into medium sized pieces 
2. 75 ml mustard oil
3. 1 tsp onion seeds/nigella seeds  (kalonjee)
4. 1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
5. 2 Tbsp garlic, chopped
6. 200 gm onion, chopped
7. 150 gm tomatoes, chopped
8. 1 tsp ginger, chopped
9. 2-3 green chillies
10. 1 Tbsp tomato paste
11. 1 Tbsp red chilli powder
12. 1 tsp black pepper, crushed
13. 1 tsp cumin powder, roasted
14. Salt to taste
15. 1 pinch black salt
16. 20 gm fresh coriander
17. 10 gm mint
18. 2 Tbsp curry leaves 

Method:

• Heat mustard oil. Add onion seeds and fennel seeds. Once they release flavor, add chopped garlic. Saute for a while.
• Add the chopped onion, tomato, ginger and green chillies. Stir fry until the onion turns brownish. 
• Meanwhile, fry curry leaves and crush them and keep aside.
• Add the boneless chicken cubes, tomato paste and stir for a while till oil comes on top. 
• Now add the dry spices one by one from ingredients No11-15*and mix well.
• Cook on a low flame, with a lid on top for about 10 minutes or till tender.
• Add the crushed curry leaves and mix well. 
• Serve the dish garnished with fresh coriander and mint.
• Serve hot with roti or pulkas.

Crispy Churmura/puffed rice Dosa with cabbage chutney

I am a big fan of dosa,. When i was studying college in Mangalore, every other day i used to try different variety of dosa's in near by restaurants. After marriage I love to experiment a lot with Dosa. I make my dosa batter each time differently and this churmura dosa turned out to be so crispy and equally good to normal crisy dosa. I've served it with cabbage chutney and it was a total hit.

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 2 cups( I used normal  white dosa rice )
2. Urad Dal / Black gram dal- 1/2 cup
3. Churmura/puffed rice - 11/2 cup
4. 2tsp Fenugreek/Methi seeds
5. Salt to taste
6. 2tsp Sugar
7. Water as needed
8. Butter for Panfrying

Method:

• Soak the dal and rice and all the ingredients from 1-4 after rinsing rice and dal, minimum 3 1/2 to 4 hours of soaking is must.

• After sufficient soaking remove the excess water and keep it aside ,dont throw away the soaked water. Use it for grinding. Put all the ingredients into the wet grinder and grind by using little water at intervals.
• After you have done with the grinding ,add salt and  sugar mix well
• Transfer the batter to a big container as the batter is going to ferment overnight and rise in volume.

  Keep in a place away from too much heat .But for colder climates you need to keep near a warm kitchen counter.
• Just before making dosas, after heating the tava, sprinkle little water mixed with few drops of oil and it should make a sizzling sound to indicate the tava is ready , then spread batter...everytime you can sprinkle this lightly salted water , enhances colour of dosa
• you will notice the dosa getting small holes everywhere, add small dots of butter all over.
• When the dosa is getting browned and fold gently.Remove and brush it with a blob of butter on top.
• Serve hot with sambar and chutney
• If you do not like to make coconut chutney there are no. of other chutney recipes some of them I am including in this blog.

Thiranga idli...Happy 69th independence day!

Happy Independence Day!

A very Happy Independence to all the reader’s of this blog. Thank you so much for all the people who supporting this blog. 

Our Mother India is going to celebrate 69th Independence on 15 August,so I thought to post the recipe of tri-coloured idli which is made without putting any edible color...its yummy, delicious and nutritious ...I am sure you will enjoy to share it with your friends and family :)

Ingredients:
Idli Batter*- 11/2 litre,fermented overnight.
3 pinch of baking soda - Baking Soda

For the Green idli
1/4 cup Coriander leaves
10-12 Mint leaves
2 Green chillies
3-4 Garlic cloves
1'inch Ginger,chopped
1tsp lemon juice

For the orange Idli
2 carrots,grated
1tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Method:

• First the prepare the Green idli paste by grinding all the ingredients to a fine paste and keep aside.
• For the orange paste, grind the red chilly powder, grated orange and lemon juice grind it to a coarse paste and keep aside
• Now separate the idli batter into 3 portions ie 1/2 litre each.
• Add green paste to one portion  of the batter and a pinch of baking soda, mix it well.
• Now add the orange paste to the 2nd portion of the batter and a pinch of soda,give a nice mix and keep it aside
• Finally add a pinch of soda to the last portion of the batter,mix it well.

Final procedure:

• Boil 3cups of water in a idli steamer.
• Grease desired shaped mould with ghee or coconut oil.
• First fill the mould with green coloured batter and let it steam for about 2 minutes on high heat.
• Now open the lid and pour the plain idli batter and steam again for 2 minutes.
• Finally pour the orange coloured batter and steam for about 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the mould.
• Serve hot with chutney or sambar.

Easy and quick Spicy honey glazed chicken wings

Here's a yummy, inexpensive, weekend dish – get some chicken wings, remove the skin and marinated them overnight with a little soy sauce, vinegar and spices, the longer they marinate the better.You can easily adjust the heat to suit your family's taste and you also can use any part of the chicken you wish, but we love eating wings in my house. 

Ingredients :

1. 10 chicken wings
2. 1tsp Garlic paste 
3. 1/2tsp Ginger paste
4. 1tsp light soy sauce
5. Salt to taste.

FOR THE SAUCE

1. 1tsp dark soy sauce
2. 1tbsp apple cider vinegar
3. 3 cloves garlic, minced
4. 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
5. 1 teaspoon ginger powder
6. 1 teaspoon ground pepper
7. 2 tsp Red chilly paste* or sauce ( i really prefer freshly home made red chilly paste)
8. 3tsp Corn flour/starch .
9. 1/4 cup honey

• Method:

1. Season wings  with ground  garlic and ginger. Place in a large ziplock bag or container and add the soy sauce,salt and marinate overnight (the longer the better).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic,ginger powder, pepper, red chilly paste or red chilly sauce.
3. Heat oil in a grilling pan,add in marinated wings and fry for 5- 6 mins on high heat.. Stir in soy sauce mixture and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 9-10 mins .
4. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Stir in mixture into the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
5. Serve immediately.

* chilly paste:

• 100g dried red chilli, cut (with scissors) and soaked in hot water for about 20 minutes.
• Drain the chillies and grind in a blender/food processor with enough white or palm vinegar to get a smooth paste. You can also add little salt.
• Heat the 100 ml oil in a deep wok or saucepan, then fry the chilli paste on medium heat initially for about 5 minutes until fragrant.
• Let cool and store in a clean jar in the fridge, lasts up to a month. You can even freeze until needed, in ice cube trays would be perfect, as you can use a little at a time as needed.

Simple and Easy"Hara Baida(Egg Korma)"

There are many ways of making Egg kurma recipe and this style is more close to makhani gravy/sauce which is used in making butter masala or butter chicken. The only difference being there are green herbs in this one and it is slightly more spiced than a makhani gravy. This recipe can also be made with paneer or tofu. you just have to add the paneer/tofu fried in ghee towards the end.

Ingredients For Hara Baida/Egg Korma:

1. 6 -Eggs (hard boiled and peeled)
2. 1tsp Garam Masala powder
3. 1 Red or green Capsicum,cut into squares
4. 2tbsp Fresh Cream
5. 1tsp Kasoori Methi/dried fenugreek leaves
6. Salt  to taste
7. 1/2 tsp Sugar (optional)
8. 1tbsp Butter
9. 2tbsp Ghee

For the Green Paste:

1. 2-Tomato
2. 1/2 cup Coriander leaves
3. 1/4 cup-Mint leaves
4. 5-6-Green chilies
5. 2-Onion
6. Curd 1tbsp
7. 1inch Ginger
8. 10 Cloves Garlic

Method:

• Prepare the green paste by grinding all the masala ingredients to smooth paste with curd.
•  Remove the shell and make some slits over the eggs vertically and keep aside.
• Heat Ghee in a sauce pan,add in chopped capsicum ,sauté for couple of minutes.
• Now add  green masala paste and Garam Masala powder, saute again till ghee comes on top.
• Add boiled eggs,sugar and salt and boil for 3-4 minutes. If  the gravy is too thick add little water or milk.
• Now sprinkle some  Kasroori methi and mix it well. boil again for a minute.
• Lastly finishing off with some crèam.

Serving suggestion :This curry goes well with rotis, Paratas or even with Simple plain rice. It's rich curry as ghee, butter and cream are included.

Aamras Puri

Our Indian wedding recipes contains a variety of traditional wedding recipes. Wedding is a very special event in anyone's life. It is an occasion to indulge in revelry and merry making. Celebrate wedding along with some delicious food. 
Today i am here with one of the famous recipe of indian wedding "Aamras puri",specially prepared during summer season. Try this easy recipe at home and i am sure your family going to love this.
Aamras or Amras is the pulp of the Mango fruit eaten in India. The pulp of a ripe fruit is extracted usually by hand and consumed along with puri.A regional version of Amras is a popular dessert in Rajasthani cuisine,Marwari, Maharashtrian(ambyacha ras) and Gujarati homes, especially during festivities.

Ingredients for Aamras:

1. 4 cups Mango Flesh (cubed) preferably Alfonso Mangoes. 
2. 14 cup Milk
3. 11/2 tbsp Sugar or to taste.

How to make Aamras:

1. In a microwave or stove top, heat the milk near boil. Crush the saffron strands, add it to the milk and let it stand for around 15 minutes.
2. Use an electric blender, puree the mango flesh, milk and sugar.

Ingredients For Puri:

1. 2 cups Wheat flour
2. 2tsp oil
3. Salt to taste
4. Oil for frying

How to make Puri:

1. Add wheat flour, oil & salt in a bowl.
2. Add water to form a firm dough & knead till smooth.
3. Cover it & keep aside for about 15 minutes.
4. Knead again. Divide into small balls & roll out into round shape.
5. Heat oil in a pan. Fry puri till light brown from both side.
6. Serve hot with aamras.
7. If you like your puris crisp then try adding 1/2 cup of fine rava along with the wheat flour.

Easy and quick Potato-sesame Salad with Lemon vinaigrette dressing

 

Simple potato-sesame salad recipe made with tangy lemon dressing is perfect for summer barbecues, picnics, and cookouts.This recipe can be served warm, as an accompanying vegetable, or cold as part of a group of salads – in which case you still need to pour on the dressing while the potatoes are warm.

 

Ingredients:

1. 4-5 medium sized potatoes, skins on, washed
2. Salt to taste

For the lemon vinaigrette dressing:

1. 2tbsp Lemon juice
2. 1/2 tsp grated zest of lemon
3. 5-6 cloves of garlic
4. 1 Green chilly,seeds removed (optional)
5. 1/2tsp Rock salt
6. 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
7. Freshly crushed black pepper

To Garnish:
Flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2tsp black or white sesame seeds,roasted

Method:

• First of all place the potatoes in a saucepan with enough boiling water just to cover them, add  some salt, and simmer them for about 15-20 minutes.
• Meanwhile make the vinaigrette. Using a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic and rock salt together to a paste, then gradually whisk in all the other dressing ingredients. 
• When the potatoes are cooked, drain them in a colander and transfer them to a serving bowl. Mash them slightly .Pour on the vinaigrette dressing while they are still hot, toss them around in the dressing to get a good coating, then finally scatter in the chopped parsley and roasted sesame seeds and serve.

PONSA ELCHIKKERY/CHAKKA ERISSERY

  
Chakka Erissery is a typical Kerala Onam/vishu sadya recipe that's  always made during a festival or weddings functions during the this summer season.Recently, I got this recipe from one of my best  friend Priya.I had tried it twice and everybody absolutely loved it.. This year jackfruit tree in our backyard was groaning with tender jackfruits .So to make use of it, today on vishu/ kerala New year thought of sharing this recipe with you all.

 

 Ingredients:

1. jackfruit bulbs– 20-25 deseeded and diced
2. Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
3. Salt to taste

To Grind

1. 2 cups Freshly scraped Coconut 
2. 2-3 whole dried Red chillies
3. 1tsp -Cumin Seeds
4. 10 -pepper corns 
5. 1-2 Green chilly

For Tempering

1. Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
2. Freshly scraped Coconut – 2tbsp
3. Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
4. 2 spring Curry leaves.

Method:

• Clean the jack fruit bulbs, deseed them and chop each seeds into 3-4 pieces.  
• Cook these pieces along with turmeric powder and Salt.
• Add about 1.5 cups of water and cook partially covered on medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until the jackfruit is cooked. Keep stirring in between to avoid burning.
•  Once the jack fruit pieces are cooked till tender, add coconut paste, mix it nicely and let it cook for a few minutes on a low flame. Then turn off the stove.Make sure the consistency of this dish is slightly dry.
• In another pan, heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds.  Once they splutter and curry leaves.Then add grated coconut and again roast them till it becomes brownish in colour. Add this tempering over the curry.Mix it well.
• Delicious Ponsa elchikeery/chakka erissery is ready to serve.

Kadgi chakko

Kadgi chakko

Kadgi Chakko  is a traditional curry made with raw jackfruit known as "Kadgi in Konkani. Jackfruit is mostly consumed as a ripened fruit, but its raw flesh is made into jackfruit chips or curries with coconut and served with rice as a side dish ...Come summer, South canara has its share of mangoes and jackfruits.
In this recipe raw jackfruit is chopped and cooked and then added with the coarsely ground  coconut paste and seasoned with mustard seeds, curry leaves in aromatic coconut oil.

During grandmas time, coconut was grinded in a stone grinder or "Ragado" as it is known in Konkani. This gives the most yummiest earthy flavor and sometimes I love to go the traditional way to make authentic konkani dishes.

 Ingredients:

1. I medium sized raw jackfruit ( about 500-750 gms)
2. Salt to taste

For the Masala paste:

1. 1/2 coconut,freshly grated
2. 5-6 Dry spicy Red chillies
3. 3-4 Kashmiri/byadgi red chillies
4. 1tbsp Coriander seeds
5. 1tsp Urad dal/split black lentils 
6. A small marble sized Tamarind ball
7. 2tsp Coconut oil

For the tempering:

1. 1tbsp Coconut oil
2. 1tsp Mustard seeds
3. 2 Springs of Curry leaves

Method:

1. Cut the jackfruit into 4 pieces and cut the 
2. Wash jackfruit pices thoroughly (to remove the saltiness) and pressure cook.Take about 3 whistles.When cool open the lid and Mash the jackfruit pieces coarsely with the back of the spoon.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry urad dal and coriander seeds till light brown and keep aside.Add red chillies into the same pan and roast till crisp.
4. Prepare the masala by grinding coconut, red chillies, and tamarind to a coarse paste.
5. Now add fried coriander seeds and urad dal and grind to a smooth paste.(Add just enough water to grind them. Do not add too much of water as this curry is prepared dry)
6. Now heat remaining oil in a pan and add mustard seeds,let it crackle add curry leaves and add the ground masala paste to this.
7. Now add the mashed jackfruit and salt ,mix it nicely.
8. cover and cook on a low flame for 5-7 minutes till its almost dry.
9. Serve hot with rice and dal.

Kok-Pom Punch

Shake up your summer party with the nonalcoholic drinks with the seasonal fruit"Kokum" ,naturally tangy fruit lends a juicy crispness, while light orange.pomegranate  and ginger add a punch of flavor,which never fails to refresh and satisfy. I really like the tartness of citrus fruits – any excuse to use lemon and limes. I used an equal mix of fresh pomegranate juice, kokum orange,lemon and tomato juice  to keep that lovely burnt blood red that resembles the colour of red wine.

 

 

 Most punch recipes cater to a single crowd: drinkers or non-drinkers. This one is delicious either way. Whether you fizz it up with champagne or mineral water, kokum-ginger punch will put a colorful sparkle in your celebrations.

Ingredients :

1. 1 liter Pure cold water
2. 1/2 cup sugar 
3. 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
4. 1 orange
5. 1 tomato
6. Juice of 2 lemon
7. 1tbsp kokum syrup or soak 10 sun dried kokum fruits in warm water and us it
8. A small piece of ginger,crushed
9. Few pieces of crushed ice

Method:

• Place your fruit pieces and sugar into your blender and add about 2 cups of pure cold water.
•  Put the lid on the blender. Blend the mixture on the medium setting for several seconds. Stop the blender and put the setting on the high setting. Add crushed ice.Blend for several seconds on high until the juice is the desired consistency.
• Add more water as needed, and continue to blend for a few more seconds if necessary. 
• Separate the juice from the pulp by pouring the juice through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a container -- if you want pure juice -- and then discard the pulp. Serve your juice immediately or store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for no longer than 10-12 hours to minimize loss of nutrients.

Soya Nuggets Manchurian...

               
With zero cholesterol and high protein content, soya bean is every vegan's delight. Today i am here with  a delightful recipe "Soya chunks Manchurian". It is a viable replacement for non-veg, because it replicates the taste and appearance of meat.
Soy Manchurian is a light version of the Manchurian chicken hails from almost every part of India, which is served in almost all the Chinese restaurants  as part of Hakka style.

Ingredients:

1. 200 gms Soy nuggets/chunks
2. 1inch piece Ginger,peeled and minced
3. 9 cloves of Garlic, peeled and finely minced
4. 1 medium Onion, finely chopped
5. 1 spring onion stem ,chopped
6. 4-5 Green chillies, finely minced
7. 2tsp chilly powder
8. 3tbsp Soy sauce
9. 1tbsp Tomato ketchup 
10. 3tbsp cornstarch
11. 1/2 cup Maida
12. 1cup water
13. 1 cup oil
14. Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

• Boil 1000 ml water in a sauce pan with little salt.Add soy nuggets and soak for about 15 minutes.
• Drain the water from the nuggets.Squeeze it well to remove the excess water if any.
• Marinate the soy nuggets with salt, pepper,1tsp chilly powder and half of garlic and ginger. Mix well to combine and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30-40 minutes.
• In a large skillet, add the oil and heat on medium. 
• Combine the cornstarch,maida and the water. Mix thoroughly to create a smooth batter. Pour the mixture over the marinated soy nuggets and coat well.
•  Fry the pieces until golden brown and crispy on all sides. This can be done in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Drain well and set aside until needed.
• Remove excess oil from pan. Add the chilies, onion and the remaining garlic and ginger. Stir fry this for 4-5 minutes until the onions start to brown. 
• Add the chilly powder, soy sauce and tomato ketchup. Reduce the heat to low and check the seasoning.
• Add the crispy chicken pieces; they will soften slightly as they absorb the sauce.
•  If your sauce is too thick, add water if needed. Garnish with chopped spring onion and serve hot.

Black eyed beans/Lobia Kurma

 

Amazing recipe-easy and delicious!

Amazing recipe-Easy and Delicious.This has been go-to black eyed peas recipe for a few years now. This dish is delicious by itself or pared with Ghee rice or roti.

Black-eyed peas get their names from their characteristic appearance. They are white legumes with a small black dot resembling an eye. The nutrition of the black-eyed pea makes it an excellent addition to any menu.If you are new to cooking beans,always presoak beans overnight.

Ingredients:

2 cups-Black eyed beans,pre soaked and cooked.

1onion,Finely chopped

1tbsp oil

1tsp Ginger Julienne for garnishing

1tbsp Coriander leaves freshly chopped for garnishing

For the Masala:

1. 2 Onion ,chopped roughly 
2. 10 Kashmiri red chillies
3. 2 Tomatoes,chopped
4. 7-8 Garlic cloves
5. 1inch Ginger
6. 5-6 Fenugreek/methi seeds
7. 1tsp Cumin/Jeera
8. 1/2tsp saunf
9. 1/2tsp Black Sesame seeds
10. 1/2tsp Turmeric powder
11. 2tbsp oil 

 

 

 

 

 

•  Heat oil in a pan,add Cumin,saunf,sesame seeds ,fenugreek seeds and saute till jeera crackles.
• Add chopped onion and red chillies and saute again for 2-3 minutes on medium flame.
• When onion changes to translucent add turmeric garlic, ginger and tomato,saute further 5 minutes and switch off the flame.
• Let it cool completely before grinding it to a smooth paste with little water.
• Kurma masala* is ready.

Method:

 

 

• Saute the onion in oil till its changes to light brown colour.
• Add the ground kurma masala* and saute for couple of minutes till the raw smell disappears.
• Add the cooked beans and salt .Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes to 20 minutes. Add additional water, if necessary.
• Serve garnished with ginger julienne and coriander leaves.

 

A great recipe! If you're new to cooking beans, you should understand that altitude and the age of beans make a difference. I'm at 4800 feet above sea level, and I always pre-soak or quick-soak my beans

A great recipe! If you're new to cooking beans, you should understand that altitude and the age of beans make a difference. I'm at 4800 feet above sea level, and I always pre-soak or quick-soak my beans

A great recipe! If you're new to cooking beans, you should understand that altitude and the age of beans make a difference. I'm at 4800 feet above sea level, and I always pre-soak or quick-soak my beans. I had a ham bone, and cooked the beans with that, onions, and water until they were close to tender and then removed the ham bone, drained some of the liquid off and added the rest of the ingredients. Delicious!

Amazing recipe-easy and delicious!