Black bean tacos with kiwifruit salsa

You know the old saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, well my mum (ever the rule-breaker or should I say trail-blazer!) likes to put her own spin on things and instead say’s ‘a kiwifruit a day keeps the doctor away’. Clever mum that one, as kiwifruit are one of the most nutrient dense fruits in the world!
Most people who suffer from food intolerance’s like us, experience digestion issues to lesser or greater degrees (often for years and in painful silence), and while many get sucked into the clever marketing of high-fibre powders and potions to help, um, err, keep things moving, all we really need to do is look to nature (and copy my mum who has eaten 2 kiwifruit every night before bed for as long as I can remember!). Kiwifruit are one of the best, most natural ways to improve gut and intestinal health as they’re loaded with fibre and enzymes which help break down protein in the gut and move things along, in a natural fashion. Serving kiwifruit alongside other fibre-rich ingredients such as beans, makes for a whole lota gut-clearing goodness, which was exactly what I was going for in today’s recipe…

These beans are super simple and tasty and can be made well in advance if need-be. I grew up on red kidney beans, which in all honesty I’ve not once cooked since leaving home (I was never a fan!), but I reckon if black beans had been the bean du jour back in the 80’s I would have been one happy girl! Sadly I don’t remember ever eating them as a kid, maybe they just weren’t around in NZ back then, or maybe my mum just preferred kidney beans, who knows? If you’re in a hurry, tinned beans can be used to speed things up, however the plump meatiness of dried beans can never be replicated fully. To me, tacos are all about getting that perfect balance of salty, sour, sweet and spicy. Here the sweetness of the kiwifruit brings a beautiful balance to what is a explosion of flavours (to steal that cheesy over-used foodie saying, I know, I’m sorry). I ate mine topped with slices of fresh birds eye chilli, however you could also add a touch of diced fresh or dried chilli flakes to the beans when cooking if you’re not feeding kids, or squeeze over some hot chilli sauce to serve instead.

Black bean tacos with kiwifruit salsa
I used a mixture of regular green and gold kiwifruit for the salsa, to add colour and also a little more sweetness (gold kiwifruit are slightly sweeter), but you can use either colour. A little finely diced red onion could be used in the salsa in place of spring onion if desired and not that I’ve tried it yet, but 1/2 tin tinned tomatoes could easily replace the fresh tomato if you can’t get your hands on nice ripe tomatoes in winter (we’re lucky here in WA, as it’s warm enough for them to grow year-round).
Makes 6-8 tacos


3/4 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight in cold water (or 1 1/2 cups cooked beans or 1x 400g tin cooked beans, drained well).
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 large tomato, finely diced
Freshly ground black pepper and fine sea salt

Kiwifruit salsa
3 kiwifruit, peeled and finely diced
The juice of 1/2 lime
A good big handful coriander (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped
1 spring onion (green onion/scallion), finely chopped

6-8 white corn tortillas, store-bought or homemade, warmed
1 large ripe avocado
The juice 1/2 lime
Finely sliced chilli, coriander (cilantro) leaves and lime wedges, to serve

Drain beans, cover with fresh cold water (filtered is best), bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 20-30 minutes or until tender but not falling apart. Add a good pinch of sea salt to the water once they’re tender and cook for a further 5 minutes. Set aside to cool in the liquid. Drain and reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Heat a large frying pan over med-high heat, add olive oil and onion and cook 2-3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and cumin seeds and cook for a further minute. Add ground coriander and tomato, give it all a good stir and cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes start to break down. Add drained beans and about 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid (or water if using tinned beans) and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens, adding a touch more reserved cooking liquid/water, if needed. Taste and season with freshly ground black pepper (lots) and fine sea salt.

Combine salsa ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mash the avocado in a bowl with lime juice and a generous pinch salt and pepper.
Spread a little avocado in the middle of each warmed tortilla, top with a scoop of beans, a little salsa, some chilli, coriander leaves and serve with extra lime wedges to squeeze.

*If you’re making your own tortillas, follow the instructions in this post, but cook them in a hot dry pan for a few minutes either side until charred and cooked through. If using store-bought tortillas, warm them in the oven or give them a quick blast in a hot dry frying pan until charred.

Post sponsored by Love Kiwis. All views and opinions are my own, as always. It doesn’t take much for me to want to spread the word about one of New Zealands most cherished fruits!