Black Bean Stew

Beans are synonymous with Uganda, (among many other foods) in a good way that is. You wont spend a month (or less than that really) without indulging in bean stew or soup. Whats baffling though is the many kinds (types) of beans there are. My grandmother knows all names in the local dialect. Sometimes she would ask “what beans are these?” and I, not knowing what to say, would simply say “err…beans” and then she would insist what type they are and I would say I don’t know. She would then tell me the names and how they are grown and in what season and place they thrive best. As much as we identify with beans, they are cooked differently in every region and according to personal preferences. I have encountered the plain boiled, the stewed, the ones mixed with vegetables, the dry fried…the list goes on. I thought it would be great to share how we cook beans here. I can’t say it is a constant recipe because how the stew turns out will depend on whats available (picture a moment where you are ready to cook beans until you realize you have no tomatoes!! It has happened before).