I didnt want starchy so I left the starch and water altogether from the recipe. I stir fried the veggies with heated oil and salt and set it aside. We bought a high grade steak and salt/peppered it before lightly pan frying it (left it med rare). Cut it in thick slices, put it on a med shallow plate, topped it with the cooked veggies and had it with ponzu sauce (instead of the soy sauce since I didnt want heavy soy sauce taste) for dinner that night. had it with some white rice. It was fabulous. I could never imagine the celery and onion combination but it matched oh so well with the beef. Really enjoyed the texture and flavor mixture in my mouth. thank you for the recipe!

Reviewed On: Jul. 2, 2008

Very simple to make but it is definitely missing something. I soaked the chopped onions in water (changed it 3 times) before draining and adding it to the mixture so that it's not stingy. I guess one hour would have sufficed but I started cooking early and ended up soaking it in water for 3 hours. I added 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, some salt and an extra tablespoon of olive oil. It tasted better to my liking but I think you need to make adjustments to your own tastes. I served it on a cute plate on top of a whole red lettuce leaf.

Reviewed On: May 10, 2008

I made the dish exactly as stated. It was good but not excellent. To me, it tasted like I was eating chip dip but with a little more extra flavor and thinned out. I might leave out the water and eat it with dip next time I want to eat black beans.

Reviewed On: May 9, 2008