Guest Recipe: Ugandan Red Bean and Coconut Stew (ve)
To celebrate International School Meals Day 2026, we're sharing a guest recipe from the Uganda Vegan Society's school meal programme. We love beans at ProVeg UK, and this is a tasty, plant-based, sweet coconutty stew packed full of goodness. This recipe has been adapted to meet School Food Standards in the UK and serves 10 primary school children.
- Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
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50 gdesiccated coconut
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200 mlwater
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1 tbspoil
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300 gred onions diced (3 medium onion)
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12 ggarlic finely chopped (3-4 cloves)
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15 gfresh ginger paste
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250 gfresh tomatoes roughly chopped (3 medium)
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250 gcarrots roughly chopped (4 medium)
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250 gmixed peppers roughly chopped (1-2 medium pepper)
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500 gtinned kidney beans drained
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400 mlof light coconut milk
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2 tspsalt
Instructions
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Add the desiccated coconut to a large jug and pour over the water. Let the coconut soak in the water for at least one hour. The coconut will soften and thicken as it absorbs the water.
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Next, heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Gently fry the onions until they begin to turn golden brown. Then add the ginger and garlic and cook for another minute.
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Add the tomatoes, carrots, peppers and kidney beans. Then add the soaked desiccated coconut, the coconut milk, and salt, making sure the vegetable and beans are covered in liquid. Top up with a little more water if needed.
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Pop the lid on and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. Serve with 45g brown rice (dried weight) per child. *Serving suggestion: add a slide of melon as is often enjoyed as an addition to a Ugandan school lunch.
Notes
Fibre: 7.8g
Protein: 9.2g
Saturated Fat: 5.5g
Other Nutrition Facts:Â Contains iron, zinc & calcium
Allergens: May contain sulphites & gluten
C02 Emissions: Very low, 0.45kg per serving
