Place your dried beans in a small bowl and cover the beans with warm water. If you've chosen black beans, add a tablespoon of lemon juice. Leave the beans in a warm place to soak for 12-24 hours.

After soaking, drain and rinse the beans and move them to a large pot. Add fresh water to cover the beans. Bring the pot to a boil and use a ladle or large spoon to skim off the foam that comes up. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 4-8 hours (check occasionally and add more water as needed). 

When the beans are thoroughly cooked and very soft drain any remaining water and allow to cool. You can transfer to an airtight container and place in the fridge when fully cool, or move on to make the dip right away!

Sterilize your jar: I do this by placing the jar in a clean sink and pouring boiling water over the entire jar. Use tongs to remove the jar to a clean towel on the counter and allow to cool until you can handle it by touch. 

Peel and coarsely chop 1 small or 1/2 medium yellow onion. Also peel 2 cloves of garlic and set aside.

Place the onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse until well chopped, then add cooked beans, salt and whey and process on high speed until smooth and well blended. 

Transfer the bean mixture to your prepared jar. Make sure there is about an inch of space between the bean paste and the top of the jar in case it expands a little during the fermentation process. 

Tightly cover your jar and leave to ferment at room temperature for about three days.

You may notice some small bubbles appearing throughout the jar after the first couple days.

After three days, transfer the fermented bean paste to the fridge (make sure it's covered tightly). 

Enjoy!