Lima Beans are popular in the southern area of the US. It is usually used for side dishes. In fact, it’s usually part of the Sunday sides in a lot of southern homes with the folks. The trick in making them as delicious as they should be is to cook them right.
So continue reading below to learn how to cook lima beans today!
Learn how to cook lima beans the Southern Style. When you visit a Southern cafeteria or a home-style restaurant down South and order lima beans, chances are, this is how they will serve it. So let’s go ahead and prepare the following ingredients first.
- 1 pound lima beans, large or small would be fine
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 large clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Now that you’ve prepared the ingredients, it’s time to start cooking.
- If you are using dried beans, make sure to soak them first overnight.
- When you are ready to cook your dish, place your lima beans in a colander and rinse under cold running water.
- After rinsing your lima beans, place them in a large pot and fill it up with water.
- Boil the water for about five minutes.
- Once done, remove the pot from heat while still covered. Let it stand for about half an hour until it is well cooled.
- After the lima beans cool down, drain and set aside.
- In the same pot, add cooking oil and sauté the onions and garlic. Let it cook until the onion becomes clear.
- Next, add the beans and fill up with water until the beans are covered.
- Season it with salt and pepper.
- Bring the water to a boil. After it boils, cover the pot and lower the heat.
- Simmer the beans for about an hour or two. Make sure to stir occasionally.
- If the water evaporates, add more to keep all the beans covered.
- Check the beans from time to time. If they are already tender, you can already stop. It will depend on how you like it to turn out. You can even cook it more if you like it to be even mushier.
- Another optional thing you can do is to add meat to this dish. You can add your favorite meat when sautéing the garlic and onions. Afterwards, leave it there to boil with the lima beans. You can use ground beef, shrimp, chicken, or even pork, depending on your choice.