Where To Buy Pinto Beans?

[sinewave]

anyone know where to buy pinto beans? the raw uncooked kind, i want to make some frijoles... i found some at villa a while back , but the bag was small and expensive.

[ricklev]

I've been cooking pintos in Thailand for years and I'm pretty sure that that small bag at about 50 baht for a pound of beans is likely all you will be able to find. I hope I'm wrong and someone posts differently.

Black beans are local and cheap though.....

[ilyushin]

Foodland

[ricklev]

All the farang supermarkets sell the same brand.

[sinewave]

are there any local equivalents? pinto beans are so cheap back in the US but here you get so little.

i heard there was some part of town where theres a lot of indian markets that may have them?

[soic]

You can order them from WWW.JUSTBEANS.COM, they are a family owned and operated business in the US. They are affordable, great quality and honest. I've used them a few times.

[bangsaenguy]

Friendship Market on Pattaya Tai normally have them

[tutsiwarrior]

does anyone know what 'the trick' is to cooking dried beans bought in Thailand? I've soaked overnight then used a pressure cooker (stowed in luggage all the way from Bahrain) for an hour and they are STILL crunchy...I started howling the last time with the pressure cooker; it frightened the children...

I usually buy whatever is on offer at tescos; black beans, pintos and kidneys...

Edited June 17, 2008 by tutsiwarrior

[sceadugenga]

I've soaked them for days with no result Toots, if you making Chili used the tinned beans. "Red Kidney beans in Brine" they is called. Wash the gunk off first.

[tutsiwarrior]

I've soaked them for days with no result Toots, if you making Chili used the tinned beans. "Red Kidney beans in Brine" they is called. Wash the gunk off first.

yeah...well, if me an' you can't cook the beans to a soft consistancy then can we presume that thais can't either? What thai dish requires beans cooked to a crunchy consistency?

[KhunDennis]

I always use a crock pot aka, slow cooker for beans, works very well. You can buy them at Big C also at Lotus. Start them early in the morning, and they should be very well cooked by dinner time.

I buy my pintos at Villa.

I soak pintos overnight with good results, however the kidney beans need to be soaked twenty four hrs. You have to be patient, and not hurry them, but they will get done.

I just made some pintos with ham hocks, and nice hot buttered corn bread, yum.

[tutsiwarrior]

sheesh...a pressure cooker should cook the shit outta those mothers but doesn't work. I tried a rice cooker on low setting all day once with kidneys before I got the pressure cooker and didn't work...

I was lookin' forward to doing rice and beans with cornbread (cornmeal brought from the supermarket in the Gulf area) and cook the beans separately then mix with the rice, water and other ingredients...ham hock or hog jowl is nice...but the beans never wanna cooperate

[ricklev]

A slow cooker is the way to go. Soak overnight or all day and cook on low for 8 hours or so. Perfect every time. It's important not to add salt until they are finished cooking.

I just finished a big pot cooked with onions and smoked dried Habanero peppers grown in Chiang Rai by Don's Food's.

Excellent!

[sinewave]

<br />does anyone know what 'the trick' is to cooking dried beans bought in Thailand? I've soaked overnight then used a pressure cooker (stowed in luggage all the way from Bahrain) for an hour and they are STILL crunchy...I started howling the last time with the pressure cooker; it frightened the children... <img src="style_emoticons/default/sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="sad.gif" /> <br /><br />I usually buy whatever is on offer at tescos; black beans, pintos and kidneys...<br />

<br /><br /><br />

i think the problem is the cooking time, the last time i boiled pintos it took around 2-3 hours if im not mistaken... darn things take forever to cook...i want to make some bean dip, like the frito lay jalapeno bean dip..then unleash hel_l upon my gf.

[rice555]

does anyone know what 'the trick' is to cooking dried beans bought in Thailand? I've soaked overnight then used a pressure cooker (stowed in luggage all the way from Bahrain) for an hour and they are STILL crunchy...I started howling the last time with the pressure cooker; it frightened the children...

I usually buy whatever is on offer at tescos; black beans, pintos and kidneys...

Hello tutsiwarrior, I ran across this story while looking for info on 'Epazote', while a big Mex Food fan, but I don't like beans,(except green beans) this clipping may help in the cooking time thing, I don't know, if it would mess with the taste. never cooked any. She doesn't say if she presoaks.It does grow here in Korat well.

rice555

Epazote is magical!

Submitted by murph on 11 December 2006 - 8:14pm. food

Deborah Madison turned us on to the magic of epazote, "the bean herb". This was not, mind you, for its various medicinal uses, which most significantly include the treatment of intestinal hookworm (yum), but because it makes cooking tasty beans relatively fast and nigh on idiot-proof. Not only is it tasty, in a savory/tangy sort of way, but it eliminates the soaking step and speeds up cooking, and also makes beans easier to digest! Amazing!

The basic recipe, known to work well with both black beans and pintos:

* rinse 2 cups dry beans

* put into 6 cups water; boil hard for 10 minutes, skimming off scum

* add small onion, diced, and 2 tsp epazote; simmer, covered, 45 minutes.

* add 1.5 tsp salt; simmer 15 minutes more.

At this point, taste for doneness. Consume, or give another 15 minutes. (Pintos seem to need the extra time.)

For extra tastiness, you could consider adding the following; the oregano can go in at the same time as the epazote; other ingredients go in at the "taste for doneness" stage, and use the extra 15:

* oregano

* chipotles in adobo sauce, minced

* tomato, diced

* bell pepper, diced

Serve with rice, cornbread.

[dotcom]

sheesh...a pressure cooker should cook the shit outta those mothers but doesn't work. I tried a rice cooker on low setting all day once with kidneys before I got the pressure cooker and didn't work...

I was lookin' forward to doing rice and beans with cornbread (cornmeal brought from the supermarket in the Gulf area) and cook the beans separately then mix with the rice, water and other ingredients...ham hock or hog jowl is nice...but the beans never wanna cooperate

I make them all the time.

Patience people. Soak them overnight if you want to. Wash well for sure.

Just simmer the dam things for as long as it takes. Keep the water even with the top of the beans. When you get that lovely red gravy they are done.

I am not kidding here. Simmer them 6-8 hours per day for 3 days if necessary.

[blue eyes]

does anyone know what 'the trick' is to cooking dried beans bought in Thailand? I've soaked overnight then used a pressure cooker (stowed in luggage all the way from Bahrain) for an hour and they are STILL crunchy...I started howling the last time with the pressure cooker; it frightened the children...

I usually buy whatever is on offer at tescos; black beans, pintos and kidneys...

If you have soaked the beans overnight and up to 24hrs and when cooked they are still "hard"it is because they are old.The older the bean the longer it takes for the moisture to get into the bean and make it soft.Never add salt until the beans have become soft.They will take longer to get soft and will splt before they are done if you do.Her is a photo of my Mexican morning meal.Huevos Rancheros....corn tortilla's topped with pinto beans,cheese,poached eggs,salsa,sour cream and avocado

Edited August 25, 2008 by blue eyes

[dotcom]

Home run !!!!!

[jfchandler]

Since Rosarita canned frijoles have disappeared from the shelves at Villa for some months now (used to be had for as low as 53 baht per can in all the different flavors/varities), and the only other brand to be found runs about 125 baht per can, I've decided to use my electric rice cooker to make my own frijoles and (separately) red chili beans.

Went shopping at Villa Suk Soi 11 today, and purchased a large bag of dry pinto beans (labeled PEAK Pinto Dried Beans - Product of the USA, with an expiration date a year out) for 138 baht. Likewise, got a smaller bag, maybe half the size, of dry red kidney beans for 49 baht.

Any cooking tips beyond those mentioned above, particularly relating to using rice cookers for this, much appreciated.... --jc.

[dotcom]

Cook em till you get a red gravy. Then they are done.

[UncleFrank]

While soaking the beans, add a bit of baking soda.

Over to you.

[Jimmyd]

Here's a trick--soak them in water in a plastic bag (I use two to minimize problems from breaking) for several days in the refrigerator. If you leave them in the heat that long they'll start fermenting.

[ricklev]

I was in the Ari Villa today and saw that the only refried pinto's they have for sale are a few rusty cans of Casa Fiesta for 159 baht each. I remember well a couple of years ago when Villa decided to triple the price of Casa Fiesa refried beans for no good reason.

&lt;deleted&gt; is it with the importer that they can't just supply the market with beans! I wonder if there is an economically rational reason. It appears to me that whenever they bring in a shipment of S and W canned black beans, for example, they immediatly sell out. Ditto for the Rosarita products. Maybe I'm missing something about the market?

[bruceboy]

One of my friends just soak his beans overnight and then slow cooks them the following day.

[jfchandler]

I was in the Ari Villa today and saw that the only refried pinto's they have for sale are a few rusty cans of Casa Fiesta for 159 baht each. I remember well a couple of years ago when Villa decided to triple the price of Casa Fiesa refried beans for no good reason.

&lt;deleted&gt; is it with the importer that they can't just supply the market with beans! I wonder if there is an economically rational reason. It appears to me that whenever they bring in a shipment of S and W canned black beans, for example, they immediatly sell out. Ditto for the Rosarita products. Maybe I'm missing something about the market?

Ricklev, I concur about this and shake my head in wonder...

Until a few months ago, Villa Markets regularly had Rosarita canned frijoles in the different varieties priced at either 70 something baht or even a couple varieties at 53 baht, the later being a pretty good price for Thailand. Now, Rosarita seems permanently gone from Villa (I've asked at the stores and gotten no explanation) and the only alternative is the Casa brand priced at nearly 160, which now seems available sometimes.

Can someone explain for me why the same basic can of refried beans goes from 53/70+ baht to 159 baht because it's another brand? As someone famous once said, "beans is beans!!!"

[jfchandler]

I'm midway thru the preparation process of my first homemade batch in Thailand....

I first soaked the pinto beans from about 1 pm one day until about 10 am the next morning, then I plunked them into my "smart" electronic controlled rice cooker, covered with a lot of water. Ran the rice cooker cook cycle once, and it took a LONG time, much longer than if I was preparing rice, maybe double or more. But when the first cycle was done, almost all the water from the beans in the pot was gone and the remaining beans were very soft and tender after just one cooking cycle. Didn't need the second one. But again, that was with a "smart logic" style rice cooker.

Tomorrow is the stove cooking, spice adding, mashing and final preparation.

[UncleFrank]

I like to saute some bacon and onion, then throw in the beans.

Served on a warm flour tortilla with cheese and salsa.

Nice.

[sceadugenga]

I've given up on dried red beans and use black beans now.

They can be soaked in hours rather than days and start breaking down in about 3 hours cooking.

The only problem is that they give the food a brown colour but I get around this by cooking them separately, changing the water a couple of times, then adding them to the main dish to finish the cooking process.

[tutsiwarrior]

looks like the difference between success and failure with dried beans has to do with where the beans are purchased...has anyone been successful with dried beans bought from tescos?...they are cheap and maybe have been sittin' there on the shelf for yonks. Any product purchased from a falang oriented supermarket is gonna be at least twice as expensive but maybe 'fresher' (as in under a year old for beans) and more likely to yield to clumsy falang cooking efforts...

raises the question: what do thais do with beans that don't cook thoroughly?...somebody must buy beans from tescos...

btw, here in Jeddah they got 4-5 different kinds of western canned frijoles...even in supermarkets that don't cater to westerners. The arabs like beans too...foul medames that you can also buy mashed up in cans like frijoles...they taste good with fresh arabic bread...

[jfchandler]

Here's a real example of frijole crazyness in Thailand....

Went shopping at the Villa Market, Sukhumvit Soi 2 yesterday, and saw on the shelf their latest brand on frijoles....Casa Fiesta...

On one of the end caps at the front of the store, they have a section of Mexican food.... and I saw the cans there... priced to my surprise at 73 baht per can...

Then, went one aisle over to the canned foods section where they have various kinds of beans... And saw the exact same brand of frijoles on the shelf there priced at 155 baht per can...same price I'd see in Villa before....

Grabbed a couple of the 73 baht cans on the shelf, and took them up to the cash register and had the cashier check the price... Sure enough... rang at 73 baht... So I took them home with me...

Didn't try price checking the regular cans priced at 155 baht... But I checked both versions and both exactly the same. The lower price one not expired or anything like that...

So...if you happen to be buying Casa Fiesta at Villa, you might check both locations in the store (Mexican and beans) and see if you find the lower price at other stores as well....