Make Quick Samp and Beans for a Side or Meat Free Dinner
Quick Samp and Beans is a hearty dish full of delicious curry flavor. This recipe can be a flavorful side or a hearty meat free meal.
I know you’re all asking the same thing I did when I stumbled on this dish. You see, I was searching for some authentic South African dishes. I’m going all ethnic with my blog. Because I like to travel from my kitchen.
And, well, when I started this blog, I had it in my mind that I wanted to make one authentic dish. I started a cooking the world series that I never finished. There may be like 5 recipes? Don’t look for them. They are old and not very well photographed. The recipes are delicious, though.
What is samp and beans?
Samp and beans has a couple of names. In Zulu it is isitambu and in Xhosa it is umngqusho. No matter what you call it, it is a hearty dish of simple ingredients. You make samp and beans with samp and beans. The rest of the ingredients vary by region, tribe, or even house.
Samp and beans can have a myriad of ingredients in there. Sometimes there’s mushrooms or carrots, peppers and onions, and some even call for tomatoes or coconut milk. Obviously, I chose the tomato route because I love tomatoes and curry spices together.
This dish is hearty and delicious. It is a staple in most South African kitchens. It is light enough to be a side dish. But it can also be hearty enough to eat as a meat free meal. And sometimes chicken is simmered in there making it a complete, one pot meal.
What is samp?
Samp is like hominy but cracked. But what is hominy? Hominy is dried field corn. What is field corn? Field corn is maize. This type of corn usually feeds livestock. This corn soaks in lye or lime to remove the outer skin. It also kills the seed germ so it can’t germinate. It also helps alter the hominy making it more digestible.
You can serve hominy whole. In the cracked form it’s called samp. When it’s coarsely ground it’s called grits. Finally, maize flour is the fine ground form of hominy. Yes, all of these are common in more Latin American cuisine.
How do you make samp and beans?
Traditionally, the samp and beans soak overnight. Then these two items simmer in a pot of either water or stock until they’re just about tender. When they’re just barely tender, the rest of the ingredients go into the pot. Of course, if that includes meat you might want to adjust your cooking times for the meat. Then everything simmers a little longer.
This is not a soup. It’s not even a stew like consistency. There is very little liquid left when everything is all said and done. Including removing extra liquid if you think there’s too much. But these are the hazards of using dried samp and beans. Sometimes they’re packaged together in a mix. Like 13 bean soup.
Anyway, quick samp and beans is sort of made in reverse. The veggies and spices go in first and simmer. When the veggies are tender, the beans go in. Because they’re already cooked, they only need to heat up. And, well, absorb some of that curry spice goodness. The hominy turns a beautiful yellow color from the turmeric in the curry powder. Which makes it taste amazing.
What beans do you use in samp and beans?
I used black-eyed peas. Some recipes call for pinto beans. And some call for sugar beans, which I’ve never heard of before. From what I’ve read, they’re related to pinto beans and the Italian borlotti beans. So, if you can’t find sugar peas then you can use pinto beans. Some have even used cranberry beans because they have similar coloring.
I used black-eyed peas because I ate this recipe on New Year’s Day. And if you’re a southerner at all, you know that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day will bring you luck in the new year. The why is a good question.
There are a couple of theories about this superstition. The first being that the enslaved ate them when the Emancipation Proclamation became effective. Sort of like the socks you wore when you won the state championship.
The second is a little more believable. Sort of like eating like a king for breakfast, lord for lunch, and pauper for dinner. Eating poor on New Year’s Day means you will have plenty of money for the rest of the year.
Black-eyed peas migrated with the enslaved to the colonies. They planted these hearty beans in their personal gardens. Black-eyed peas along with field corn fed livestock at that time solidifying the image of it being a poor person’s food.
What does samp and beans taste like?
I think the answer to this question depends on your curry powder. I had two different kinds and combined them. One had a little more of a kick than the other. And it had more cloves, I think? So, it was heavy on the cloves and spice. I prefer mine to have more of the curry and cardamom flavor. I should make my own. Some day.
This is a rich and hearty meal. You can easily have this as side dish. I make air fryer thighs rubbed with curry powder and it is the perfect side dish for that. For those that enjoy a meat free meal, the beans and hominy in here makes it rich enough for dinner. For those looking for a one pot option, toss in some bone in chicken pieces for a full meal. And with simple ingredients, it makes for a pantry and budget friendly meal for your family.

Quick Samp and Beans
Quick Samp and Beans is a hearty dish full of delicious curry flavor. This recipe can be a flavorful side or a hearty meat free meal.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 2/3 cup diced onion
- 28 ounces petite diced tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 14 ounces rinsed and drained black-eyed peas
- 15 ounces rinsed and drained hominy
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
Instructions
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan before adding the bell peppers and onions.
- Sauté the bell peppers and onions until they begin to soften.
- Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth, curry powder, and garlic salt.
- Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the peas and hominy and simmer an additional 20 minutes.
- Garnish with the green onions and serve.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 156Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 1mgSodium 741mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 8gSugar 7gProtein 7g
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Looks like a fun and easy recipe. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Thank you!
This non-soup looks delicious and I love curry! I had never heard of samp before so this was interesting! I have actually moved slightly more into using spice blends. Just bought an Italian seasoning blend which II swore I’d never do 🙂 Just perpetually too busy…
That reminds me, I have to make a few spice blends for my pantry! I try not to buy blends, Italian is one I’m okay with because there’s usually no salt. And I don’t keep basil around much. Not a huge fan.
This is a delicious one that my family would devour. Love the simple and comforting flavors.
Agreed! It was a bowl of comfort to eat.
I had no idea what samp was so I’m glad you explained! This sounds yummy!
Me either. But it was fun to learn about it.