Black Beans in Mango Sauce

Adapted from Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café
Preparation time: About 45 minutes (30 minutes of light work)
Yield: About 6 servings, depending on what else is served.


All you need are a couple of perfectly ripe mangoes, and you're up and running with this quick, exotic dish. To make it into a complete meal, just add some plain steamed broccoli and rice.

Wonderful though they are to eat, mangoes can be difficult to cut up without their turning to mush. The good news here is that in this dish, it doesn't matter, because the mangoes get mashed anyway. So just cut them open and scrape out the flesh, and mince as best you can.

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups minced red onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 3-inch jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 cups cooked black beans (3 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained)
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 large ripe mangoes, minced
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Minced fresh cilantro (optional)
Squeezable wedges of lime
  1. Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add about 1 3/4 cups of the onion, and the garlic, chile, ginger, cumin seeds, and salt. Sauté over medium -high heat for about 5 minutes.
  2. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and add the black beans and about half the lime juice. Sauté for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until everything has mingled nicely, and the beans are heated through. Mash the beans slightly with the back of the spoon, and transfer to a bowl.
  3. Stir the remaining lime juice and about 2/3 of the chopped mangoes directly into the hot beans, mashing the mangoes a little as you stir. Grind in some black pepper, then cover and let stand for about 15 minutes to let the sauce develop.
  4. Serve warm, at room temperature--or even cold--topped with the remaining red onion and mango, and some minced cilantro, if desired. For a finishing touch, tuck a juicy wedge of lime on the side of each serving.
About Mollie Recipes Books Press Kit Contact Us