Entrepreneurship Development: Is there new way of cooking beans?

LET US begin with a disclaimer. This article is neither about beans nor food preparation. We are going to use the beans preparation example simply to make a point. You can replace beans with anything else you find convenient, as long as you see the point. Indeed this is an attempt at having a fresh look at established systems with a view to improving the same.Those in the know tell me that there are two ways of preparing beans. In both ways you first boil the beans for about over two hours. Then in the first way, you can fry the beans with onions, a little oil and spices without adding water. The second way involves frying with onions, spices and tomatoes in oil and then adding water after about five minutes to make it into a sauce. Here you can add carrots and other stuff to make it more delicious.Most seasoned cooks I asked if there are new ways of preparing beans looked at me as if I was possessed by some demon. I understand their position. They have been at this for the longest time and the system has always worked. And as the adage goes ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. So I set out on a mission to discover other ways. My method was very simple; I asked how other communities around the world make beans. To find this out, I took a drive around Kigali. Like in many cities there is always a Chinese restaurant, an Indian restaurant, among others. We also have Kenyan, Ugandan, Congolese, Ethiopian and Japanese restaurants in the mix. I also ‘googled’ ‘beans and bean-based recipes’. The results were astounding!A friend who studied in China came back and regaled us with the Chinese culinary prowess. It seems the Chinese can cook just about anything and do it well. They can make beans in such a manner that the consumer would not even know that it is beans they just consumed. A quick look at the Chinese recipe make you realise why. They cook different types of beans differently (we seem not to have very many varieties and we cook them all the same way). Some are cooked whole, others chopped, pounded ground to get the best flavor from them. Others are made into paste to be accompaniments to other foods. Almost in all occasions the recipe changes from region to region.The Japanese use beans to make Anko, a red bean paste, that is used in many confectionaries in Japan. It is prepared by boiling and sometimes mashing azuki beans and then sweetening the paste with sugar. The most common types of red bean paste include Tsubuan and Koshian.Tsubuan is prepared by boiling and sweetening with sugar. Koshian is prepared by passing through a sieve to remove bean skins, and this is most commonly used for wagawashi (traditional Japanese confectionery).Beans, like corn, are native to Mexico. They are a staple food there. Pinto beans and black beans are two favourites in Mexican cooking. Speckled pinto (“painted” in Spanish) beans are used to make refritos or refried beans. Black beans are enjoyed as a side dish and are used in soups, salsas, and as a filling in burritos and enchiladas.We all know Soya beans and Soya beef cubes. The question is; are there more ways of cooking and serving beans out there? I don’t know what your ‘bean’ is, but one thing is clear, we have to constantly challenge ourselves in the way we approach our work. Is there a new and better way of working?We need to improve in our daily tidbits of task in order to take the giant leap. More exposure, creativity, innovation are key to improvements.What’s more, innovative systems will push innovation further than static system. In the latter, innovators and inventors show up more as an exception than a rule. In most cases, when the creative types show up, they get lost between the cracks and disappear because we have no support systems in place. As it is, we think that we have no inventors in our midst because we don’t expect them to be here and thus don’t recognise them when they show up. We must seek new ways of preparing beans.Be the change you seek… everyday...Sam Kebongo is an Entrepreneurship Development Consultant based in Kigali.