Composition: Cari Pois Citrouille
Large lima beans and squash curry from Réunion Island
We celebrate large lima beans in this traditional bean curry from Réunion Island. We elevate this traditional side dish to make it the centerpiece of a delicious and satisfying plants-only composition. Beans shine particularly with exotic flavors and rice, accompanied by simply prepared bitter greens.
Composition elements
Cari Pois Citrouille
Christmas lima beans (or large lima beans) and butternut squash curry in the style of Réunion Island with ginger, turmeric, and rosemary
Collard Greens Sauté
Fresh collard greens briefly sautéed in spicy olive oil
Steamed Black Rice
Steamed Chinese black rice
Rougail Tomate Combava
Spicy tomato and makrut-lime relish from Réunion Island
Sweet Potato Palate Cleanser (optional)
Steamed Stokes Purple® sweet potato served cold with a sprinkle of Maldon salt
Staging, plating, substitution, and leftovers notes
Pairing
The combination of fragrant spices and sweet butternut squash calls for a medium-bodied red wine with a hint of sweetness. Excellent pairings include Zinfandel (especially Old Vine Zinfandel from California), Primitivo (Italy), and Grenache (Spain). This composition also pairs very well with a very dry and bold white wine, especially Grüner Veltliner (Austria).
What makes it special
In La Réunion, a French tropical island in the Indian Ocean, a traditional meal consists of white rice (riz), beans (grains), spicy condiments (rougail), and some meat or fish curry (cari). Dark greens (brèdes) are added when available. This way of eating has been shared by Réunion people of all backgrounds and income levels for centuries.
We take inspiration from this traditional plate to create a gourmet plants-only composition centered on beans. Cari pois citrouille is a traditional Réunion beans dish of white large lima beans (pois du Cap) and fresh pumpkin, with a ginger-turmeric sauce base. We adapted it to showcase different large lima beans, especially the colorful Christmas lima beans. We also replaced pumpkin with fresh butternut squash which retains its shape better during cooking.
In a creative twist, we often use black rice (instead of white rice), which has a nutty taste and soft texture that complements wonderfully the beans curry and provides a striking color contrast with the golden sauce. As a whole grain, black rice also helps to make this plants-only meal particularly satiating.
Rougail tomate combava is a traditional Réunion cold spicy relish made of fresh tomatoes, hot chili, and combava (makrut lime). It adds a splash of spicy freshness to the mild beans curry. It enhances all the flavors thanks to the acidity of tomatoes and combava. To cool down the palate after a spicy mouthful, we sometimes add cold steamed sweet potatoes as a palate cleanser.
Bitter greens such as collard greens sautéed in spicy olive oil balance the sweetness of the butternut squash and add umami to the composition.
Growing up in Réunion, I did not like beans. They taunted me every day on my lunch plate at the school cafeteria. Eventually, I relented and this is the dish that changed my mind and made me fall in love with beans.