Cuban black bean soup
In Cuba black beans are an everyday staple, and this soup is one of their simplest forms. Black beans cooked until tender and mixed with a sofrito of onion, green pepper, garlic, cumin and oregano, then partly mashed to thicken the soup. A spoonful of vinegar at the end gives it a lift, and red onion and sour cream add freshness. Without the sour cream the soup is fully plant-based. It is filling, and even better the next day.
Your own work in that: 5 min.
- Soaking the beans 720 min
- Cooking the beans 120 min
- Sofrito 15 min
- Simmering with sofrito 20 min
- Serving 5 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneSoak the beans
Cover the beans with plenty of cold water and leave overnight (about 12 hours, at least 8).
Ingredients: 400 g dried black beans · 2000 ml water · 2 pcs bay leaves · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs green pepper · 4 cloves garlic · 1½ tsp ground cumin · 1 tsp dried oregano · 1 tbsp wine vinegar · 2 tsp salt
Cook the beans
Drain the beans, cover with 2 litres of fresh water, add the bay leaves and simmer with the lid ajar 1½–2 hours, until completely tender and easily crushed. If too much water evaporates and the beans start to poke out, add a little boiling water. The salt goes in later, with the sofrito.
Ingredients: 400 g dried black beans · 2000 ml water · 2 pcs bay leaves · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs green pepper · 4 cloves garlic · 1½ tsp ground cumin · 1 tsp dried oregano · 1 tbsp wine vinegar · 2 tsp salt
Until they crush between your fingers.Make the sofrito
Chop the onion, pepper and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and pepper 8–10 minutes until soft, then add the garlic, cumin and oregano and fry another minute.
Ingredients: 400 g dried black beans · 2000 ml water · 2 pcs bay leaves · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs green pepper · 4 cloves garlic · 1½ tsp ground cumin · 1 tsp dried oregano · 1 tbsp wine vinegar · 2 tsp salt
Cumin and oregano — the smell of Cuba.Combine with the beans
Tip the sofrito into the pot of beans, salt and simmer together 20 minutes, stirring now and then.
Ingredients: 400 g dried black beans · 2000 ml water · 2 pcs bay leaves · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs green pepper · 4 cloves garlic · 1½ tsp ground cumin · 1 tsp dried oregano · 1 tbsp wine vinegar · 2 tsp salt
Thicken
Remove the bay leaves. Mash some of the beans against the side of the pot, or blend a third of the soup and return it. The soup should be thick but with whole beans.
Ingredients: 400 g dried black beans · 2000 ml water · 2 pcs bay leaves · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs green pepper · 4 cloves garlic · 1½ tsp ground cumin · 1 tsp dried oregano · 1 tbsp wine vinegar · 2 tsp salt
Partly mashed — thick, with whole beans.Add the vinegar
Stir in the vinegar and taste. Add more salt if needed — black beans need plenty, and the vinegar lifts their earthy flavour.
Ingredients: 400 g dried black beans · 2000 ml water · 2 pcs bay leaves · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs green pepper · 4 cloves garlic · 1½ tsp ground cumin · 1 tsp dried oregano · 1 tbsp wine vinegar · 2 tsp salt
Prepare the garnish
Finely chop the red onion.
Ingredients: ½ pcs red onion, finely chopped · 100 g sour cream (optional)
Serve
Ladle the soup into bowls, scatter with red onion and add a spoonful of sour cream. In Cuba it is also served with white rice, which can be stirred into the soup.
Ingredients: ½ pcs red onion, finely chopped · 100 g sour cream (optional)
Before you start
From a can
With 4 cans of black beans (about 950 g drained) and about 1 litre of water or stock, the soup is ready in 40 minutes: make the sofrito, add the beans and liquid and simmer 20 minutes. Salt carefully, as canned beans are often salted.
With sherry
A spoonful of dry sherry or dry white wine is often used instead of vinegar — the flavour is gentler.
Storage
The soup keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes well. It thickens a lot — add water when reheating.
