Rice And Beans

Ingredients

👉 For Vegetable Puree: (This makes 2+3/4 cups of puree)

25g / 5 to 6 Garlic Cloves

10g / 1 inch Ginger

200g / 1 Red Bell Pepper

350g / 2 to 3 (medium size) Ripe Tomatoes

👉 Other Ingredients:

1 Cup / 200g WHITE BASMATI RICE (Rinsed thoroughly with water)

2 Cups / 1 Can (540ml Can) COOKED Black Beans (drained/rinsed) - I have used low sodium beans

3 Tablespoon Olive Oil

2 Cups / 275g Cup Onion - Chopped

1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme

2 Teaspoon Paprika

2 Teaspoon Ground Coriander

1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 Teaspoon All Spice

1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper or to taste

1/4 Cup / 60ml Water - If required

1 Cup / 250ml Coconut Milk (I added canned coconut milk)

Salt to Taste

Directions

Thoroughly wash the rice - a few times until the water runs clear. Drain 2 cups or 1 can of black beans. Let the rice and beans sit in the strainer to drain any excess water.

👉 For vegetable puree: Chop the tomatoes, red bell pepper, ginger and garlic. Then blend to a smooth puree. This makes approximately 2+3/4 cups of puree.

👉 USE A WIDER POT TO COOK THIS DISH, that way the rice will cook more evenly without getting mushy).

To a heated pot add olive oil, onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt and fry on medium heat until the onions are browned. It takes about 7 to 8 minutes while switching between medium and medium-high heat. Adding salt to onions will release it's moisture and help it cook faster, so don’t skip it.

Once the onion are browned, reduce the heat to low and add the spices - dried thyme, paprika ground coriander, cumin, all-spice, cayenne and fry for a few seconds. Then add the vegetable puree, black beans, salt (to taste) and mix well. Increase the heat, cover the pan and bring to a vigorous boil. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook on medium-low heat for about 8 minutes.

Uncover the pan and add the basmati rice and coconut milk. Mix throughly and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low. Cook the rice on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked but not mushy. IT TOOK ME 10 MINUTES ON MY STOVE. Once cooked, turn off the heat. Add chopped cilantro and black pepper. Mix very gently because rice is very soft at this point and over mixing can cause the rice grains to break. Cover and let it rest for 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with your favourite sides. This recipe is perfect for meal planning and can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

✅ 👉 THE COOKING TIME DEPENDS ON THE QUALITY OF THE RICE SO ADJUST ACCORDINGLY. It took me 10 minutes on my stove.

▶️ IMPORTANT TIPS:

👉 USE A WIDER POT TO COOK THIS DISH, so that the rice can cook more evenly without getting mushy

👉 Every stove is different so regulate the heat accordingly

👉 Cooking time depends on several factors - the type of pot being used, heat of the stove, moisture content of the ingredients etc. so please use your judgement and adjust the cooking time accordingly

👉 Thoroughly wash the rice until the water runs clear to get rid of any impurities/gunk. It's an important step so please do not skip it

👉 This recipe is for basmati rice, if you are using a different kind of rice adjust the water quantity and cooking time accordingly