White Beans in Toasted Cumin Onion Curry (White Beans do Pyaza) – one pot

Beans do pyaza (Indian cumin onion sauce) uses the flavorful sauce from North Indian chicken do pyaza! Creamy caramelized onion sauce seasoned with toasted cumin, ginger, garlic, and spiced and garnished with seared peppers and onions. Glutenfree. Nutfree Soyfree

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Beans are having a real moment right now, so I’ve been using beans in some of my favorite sauces. Today we add them to this flavorful Indian sauce.

All the amazing complex flavor is always in the spiced Indian sauces! The proteins( meats, tofu, beans) taste so good because of the well spiced and simmered sauce! This sauce today is vibrant, deep and delicious! Do pyaza translates to double onions. In this fragrant toasted cumin and onion sauce, you add onions at two different points. You’ve got seared onions in the topping and caramelized in the base sauce. Caramelized onion with well toasted cumin and other spices makes for a deeply rich and flavored sauce.

This one is an amazing curry to use with any protein that you like, like baked tofu, chickpeas, beans, soy curls, seitan, vegan chicken substitutes, or whatever you like. I’m using great northern beans, but you can also use other white beans, like cannellini beans, butter beans, or you can even use chickpeas in the same sauce. 

It’s a fabulous, flavorful sauce!

This is also a freezer-friendly recipe. You can freeze just the sauce or the sauce and beans together and heat it up and serve whenever you’re ready.

Beans do pyaza is also a great way to serve beans on toast! if you want the beans and toast to be extra flavorful and spiced 🙂 As with spiced Indian curries and sauces, the flavor gets stronger as the sauce sits. The flavor also depends on the age of your spices. If you find yourself tripling the amount of spices listed in my recipes, the spices are probably quite old.
This sauce pairs well with any kind of protein like baked tofu, vegan chicken subs, roasted cauliflower or veggies and what not! With the beans It makes a simple, cozy, satisfying one-pot meal.

Why You’ll Love this Beans do Pyaza Curry

• Very flavorful, creamy sauce packed with onion, spices, ginger, and garlic and toasted fragrant cumin seeds
• quick and easy one pot meal. Uses just 1 pan and cutting board!
• freezer-friendly : the sauce as well as the beans+ sauce are freezer friendly. Reheat in pan or microwave
• gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free with an oil-free option

More Indian curries

• Malai tofu
• Gobi Do Pyaza
• Lasooni Chicken Curry
• Dal Bukhara
• Lentil Coconut Curry (1 pan, 30 minutes!)

Beans do Pyaza (Beans in Indian Toasted cumin onion sauce)

5 from 10 votes

By: Vegan Richa

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

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Beans do pyaza (Indian cumin onion sauce) uses the flavorful sauce from North Indian do pyaza curry that usually has meat. Creamy caramelized onion curry seasoned with toasted cumin, ginger, garlic, and spiced and garnished with seared peppers and onions. One Pot. Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free with Oil-Free Option

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Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the Onion Pepper Garnish

• ▢ 1 teaspoon oil, or vegan butter
• ▢ 1/4 cup chopped onion, chopped into 3/4” squares
• ▢ 1/4 cup chopped green pepper, chopped into 3/4” squares
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves

For the Do Pyaza Sauce

• ▢ 2 teaspoons oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 1 whole clove
• ▢ 1 cup sliced or chopped red onion
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika, or Kashmiri chili powder or a mix of paprika and cayenne for extra heat
• ▢ 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste, or 3 cloves of garlic, minced, and 1/2” of ginger, minced. Or you can just mash them up together in a mortar and pestle.
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 1/3 cup non-dairy yogurt, or non-dairy cream of choice
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 to 1 cup water, or non-dairy milk
• ▢ 15- ounce can of white beans, northern beans, cannellini beans, butter beans or other beans of choice
• ▢ cilantro and pepper flakes, for garnish

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Instructions 

Make the onion pepper garnish.

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high or high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, green pepper, and fenugreek leaves and a good pinch of salt. Cook until the onion starts to get golden or sear at the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir frequently, because this is a high heat, and you just want to sear some of the onion and pepper bell pepper. Set them aside in a small bowl.

Make the do pyaza sauce.

• Add the 2 teaspoons of oil to the same skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and cook until the cumin seeds change color significantly and become very fragrant. This can take anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes, depending on how hot the oil is.
• Then, add the bay leaves and the clove, and stir once, then mix in the onion and the first 1/4 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook until the onion is golden and starts to caramelize. Add splashes of water in, so that the onion cooks evenly, and stir occasionally. If the onions keep drying out too much, you can also close the pan with the lid for a minute or so, and then open it and continue to cook the onions,. 6 to 9 minutes.
• Now, add in all of the ground spices and the ginger garlic paste and mix in. Add the tomato paste and non-dairy yogurt. Mix well, and bring to a boil, then continue to cook for 2 minutes.
• Mix in the water or non-dairy milk and the beans and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cover with the lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it sit for simmer for 6 to 8 minutes for the flavors to meld.
• Then, open the lid, taste and adjust salt and flavor, adjust consistency if needed by adding more water/non dairy milk and bring to boil. Then stir in the onion and bell pepper garnish and Switch off heat, garnish with cilantro and pepper flakes,
• Serve with toasted sourdough bread, garlic bread, naan, or over rice. You can also add it to bowls with roasted veggies and rice/quinoa/ grains of choice or serve it as beans on toast.

  Store refrigerated for upto 3 days. Freeze for upto 2 months. Reheat in skillet or microwave.

Video

Notes

To serve this as beans on toast, toast up some bread or sourdough, add a good layer of these beans on top, garnish with  cilantro or other fresh herbs or green onion, and sprinkle on some, seeds such as hemp seeds, sesame seeds, or pumpkin seeds.

This recipe is gluten-free. Soy-free if you use soy-free yogurt and non-dairy milk.

It is nut-free if you use nut-free yogurt and milk.

To make this without oil, roast the cumin seeds on a dry skillet then use broth to sauté the onion. use broth to sauté the topping as well.  

To make this with soy curls, use 4 ounces of soy curls, soak them in broth for 10 to 15 minutes, then drain. Toss them in 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala, and then bake for 15 to 20 minutes or roast them in a skillet with a teaspoon of oil until they are golden and then add to the sauce towards the last 3 mins of simmering. You will need to add a bit more water or non-dairy milk in the end, as well, because the soy curls will absorb a lot more moisture.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 225kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 0.4g, Sodium: 371mg, Potassium: 789mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 415IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 144mg, Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• oil – To sauté. You can use broth instead for oil-free.
• onion – You’re using onion in both the topping and the sauce.
• bell pepper – For the onion pepper garnish.
• whole and ground spices – We season the garnish with dried fenugreek leaves. For the do pyaza sauce, you’ll use whole cumin seeds, bay leaves, and a clove. The ground spices in the sauce are: Garam Masala, coriander, and paprika.
• ginger garlic paste – You can use the paste or use minced garlic and ginger. Or mash fresh garlic and ginger in a mortar and pestle.
• tomato paste – Adds so much amazing umami flavor to the sauce!
• non-dairy yogurt – For creaminess. You can use other non-dairy cream, like cashew cream, if needed.
• water or nondairy milk – Adds moisture to the sauce.
• beans – Use white beans of choice or chickpeas as your protein. You can use other vegan proteins, like crispy tofu, soy curls, or vegan chicken, if you like.
• garnishes – Garnish with fresh cilantro and crushed pepper flakes.

Tips

• When you’re cooking the topping and when you’re toasting the whole spices, make sure to stir frequently, because they can burn easily.
• When caramelizing the onions, they can start to dry out. Add splashes of water, if needed. You can also cover the pan and let them steam for a bit, if things are getting really dry.
• This dish freezes well! Freeze just the sauce or the sauce and beans in a freezer-safe container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or reheat in a pan or microwave and serve.

How to Make Vegan Chicken Do Pyaza

First, make the onion pepper garnish. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, green pepper, and fenugreek leaves and a good pinch of salt. Cook until the onion starts to get golden the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir frequently, because this is at high heat, and you just want to scorch some of the onion and pepper bell pepper. Once the onion and pepper are golden on half of the edges, set them aside in a small bowl.

Then, make the do pyaza sauce.

Add the 2 teaspoons of oil to the same skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and cook until the cumin seeds change color significantly and become very fragrant. This can take anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes, depending on how hot the oil is. You want the cumin seeds to change color, darken pretty significantly but not burn.

Then, add the bay leaves and the clove, and stir once, then mix in the onion and the first 1/4 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook until the onion is golden and starts to caramelize. Add splashes of water in, so that the onion cooks evenly, and stir occasionally. If the onions keep drying out too much, you can also close the pan with the lid for a minute or so, and then open it and continue to cook the onions. 6 to 9 minutes. 

Now, add in all of the ground spices and the ginger garlic paste and mix . Add the tomato paste and non-dairy yogurt. Mix well, and bring to a boil, then continue to cook for 2 minutes. 

Mix in the water or non-dairy milk and the beans and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cover with the lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it sit for simmer for 6 to 8 minutes for the flavors to meld. 

Then, open the lid, taste and adjust salt and flavor, adjust consistency if needed with more water or non dairy milk. Then stir in the onion and bell pepper garnish. Switch off heat, garnish with cilantro and pepper flakes, and serve with toasted sourdough bread, flat bread, garlic bread, naan, or over rice. You can also add it to bowls with roasted veggies and grains of choice or serve it as beans on toast.

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