Seduce Your Tastebuds...: Dominican Republic - Habichuelas Rojas Guisadas

Today I am taking you to the Caribbean region- Dominican Republic as a part of the 30 day culinary tour across the globe..Until I chose this country, I was not too sure about anything much about the history / cuisine / culture of this country.But once I chose this country, I read up some interesting fact.Here is what I found out...

It is the second largest country in the Caribbean region.
The people of this country are considered to be friendly and cheerful.
The Dominican flag is the only country in the world that has the image of the Bible.
One of the largest salt water lakes- Lago Enriquillo is found in this country. It houses around a large number of crocodiles!
Cops and the Military do not participate in the elections.
It is one of the major tobacco exporting country in the world.
Rum is their national beverage!
Abortions are officially banned in this country.
The people of this country love a tasty meal and enjoy good food.

Now to the Cuisine....

This cuisine has Spanish[since it was a former Spanish colony],African,Indigenous Taino influences and has similarities to the Puetorican and Cuban cuisines.The names of the Dominican dishes can sometimes be found in these cuisines as well.

Some of the popular dishes are...

Sancocho- 7 meat stew
Arroz Blanco - White rice
Mangu - Plantain mash
Habichuelas Guisadas - Stewed beans
Tostones- Twice fried plantains
Empanadas
Chen-Chen- Cracked corn Pulao
Pan de coco- Coconut bread
Queso Frito- Pan fried white cheese

Now coming to the recipes, I have prepared a stew and potato side and served it with white rice...

Behind the scene:

This stew had a mixture of taste and so I was very sure that the kids won't touch it.Instead of having this with rice, I had it as the main for dinner. The kids saw my meal and wanted to try and slowly started loving it and asked for more. I was more than happy to share this with the kids. It is not often that the kids willingly eat something this healthy!

I used:
Adapted from - Aunt Clara's Kitchen
Serves- 3

Kidney beans -1 cup
Pumpkin / Auyama / Yellow pumpkin, chopped into small pieces- 1/2 cup
Onion-1, roughly chopped
Capsicum-1,small, chopped
Ginger minces- 1/2 teaspoon
Garlic-3 cloves, minced
Coriander leaves- a fistful
Oregano- a large pinch
Tomato sauce- 2 tablespoons
Salt to taste
Oil- 1 tablespoon

Soak the bean for at least 8 hours. Wash and pressure cook with fresh water till the bean is soft. Reserve the cooked liquid.

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion, ginger, garlic,pumpkin,capsicum,coriander leaves.Saute for a minute.Add oregano and the cooked beans.

Add the reserved liquid used to cook the bean and more water / stock if needed, tomato sauce and salt.
Bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash a portion of the beans so that the soup thickens. Remove from heat after 5-8 minutes.