Quinoa and Bean Stew

Method

Soak the beans overnight in cold water. The next day, drain and cold-start them in fresh water — bring to a rolling boil for two minutes, then drain and rinse. This removes the oligosaccharides that cause bloating. Return them to the pot with fresh water and simmer until the skin splits easily when you blow on it, roughly 40–50 minutes depending on age. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Toast the cumin seeds until they snap and release their sharp, slightly bitter edge — about 30 seconds. Add the diced onion and cook until it loses its rawness and turns translucent at the edges, 4–5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until you smell the pungency peak and soften slightly. Stir in the ají amarillo paste and cook for 90 seconds; the oil should turn rust-coloured and smell warm, not raw. This andean-cuisine base — the soffritto and chilli paste — builds the flavour foundation that dominates the final dish.

Add the diced butternut squash, cooked beans, quinoa, passata, and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes. The liquid should bubble gently at the edges; if it boils hard, it breaks down the squash into mush and oversofts the quinoa's andean-cuisine characteristic firmness. After 15 minutes, taste the squash with a fork — it should offer slight resistance, not collapse. The quinoa grains should have split their coat and show a faint ring around the germ. If either is underdone, give it another 3–5 minutes.

Season with 6 g salt (roughly 1 teaspoon) and taste. The stew should taste direct and savoury, with the ají's mild heat running underneath the tomato and the squash's sweetness balancing it. The quinoa's slightly bitter, earthy note should be audible, not masked.

Finish with fresh coriander, roughly torn, and serve hot. The stew holds its texture for two days under refrigeration; reheat gently with a splash of water to loosen.