Christmas Sousboontjies (Sweet Bean Salad)
This sousboontjies recipe brings a familiar sweet-and-sour bean salad to the Christmas table, with tender sugar beans, softened onion and a simple vinegar dressing. It is an old-fashioned South African side that needs no fancy ingredients, just enough time for the beans to cook properly.
For a hot South African Christmas, serve it chilled beside sliced gammon, cold roast chicken or meat straight off the braai. Making it the day before also leaves one less pot to worry about on Christmas morning.
The important bit is to cook the beans until completely tender before adding the vinegar. They should hold their shape but feel creamy inside. Once dressed, let them rest in the fridge so the sweet-and-sour flavours settle together.
Ingredients
For the beans
For the sweet-and-sour dressing
Instructions
- 1Sort through the beans, discarding any stones or damaged beans, and rinse well. Cover generously with cold water and soak for 8–12 hours in the fridge. Soaking and chilling time are additional to the times listed.
- 2Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Place in a large saucepan with fresh water covering them by about 5 cm. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil uncovered for 10 minutes.
- 3Reduce the heat and simmer gently, with the lid partly on, for another 60–90 minutes, or until the beans are completely tender but mostly intact. Older beans may take longer. Top up with boiling water as needed to keep them submerged.
- 4Near the end of the bean cooking time, heat the oil in a separate saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft without browning.
- 5Add the vinegar, sugar and 125 ml water to the onion. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a gentle simmer.
- 6Mix the cornflour with 15 ml cold water until smooth. Stir it into the simmering dressing and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until lightly thickened and glossy.
- 7Drain the tender beans and add them to the dressing with the salt and pepper. Fold together gently and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning; the dressing should be distinctly sweet and tangy.
- 8Transfer to a shallow, heatproof container. Allow the strong steam to subside, then refrigerate promptly, loosely covered at first. Cover fully once cold and chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Stir gently before serving chilled.
Nutrition (per serving)
- Calories
- 205 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 38 g
- Protein
- 8.3 g
- Fat
- 2.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 0.3 g
- Sugar
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 130 mg
- Cholesterol
- 0 mg
Estimated values based on the ingredients used.
Notes
Christmas tips
- Make the salad the day before Christmas. The beans absorb some dressing overnight, giving them a fuller sweet-and-sour flavour.
- Serve in a small bowl and replenish it from the fridge rather than leaving the whole batch in the summer heat. Keep it out of direct sun; refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the temperature is above 32°C.
- Pair it with gammon, braai chops or cold roast chicken, with a crisp green salad alongside for freshness.
- If the chilled salad seems too thick, fold in 15–30 ml cold drinking water before serving. The dressing should coat the beans rather than set firmly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use tinned beans instead?
Yes. Use about 750 g drained, rinsed tinned sugar beans or borlotti beans. Skip the soaking and bean-cooking steps, prepare the dressing as written, then gently simmer the beans in it for 5 minutes. Taste before adding salt, as tinned beans may already be salted.
Why are my beans still hard?
Older dried beans can take considerably longer to soften, and hard water can also slow cooking. Keep simmering in water until tender before adding the vinegar dressing: acidic ingredients can delay softening.
How long does sousboontjies keep?
Store in a covered container in the fridge at 4°C or below and use within 3–4 days of making it. The vinegar and sugar do not make this salad shelf-stable. The listed preparation time excludes the overnight soak and the final chilling time.
