Rice and beans
A spicy dish of red beans and rice
Servings: 4 people
Cost: $5
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dry red kidney beans or 3 cups canned red kidney beans
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup chopped red onion
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp chili flakes
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
Preparing your dry beans
- Sort through your dry red kidney beans, discarding any beans which are shriveled or broken. Rinse and soak in a bowl of cold water for 12 hours or overnight. Be sure to use enough water so that there is at least 2 inches of water above the surface of the beans.
- After the hours of soaking, drain your beans. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the beans and keep at a rapid boil for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot and cook for an additional 45 - 60 minutes until the beans are uniformly tender and easy to bite through. You should periodically check your pot to be sure that there is still enough water.
- When your beans are cooked, drain them. You will need 3 cups of cooked beans for this recipe. If you end up with a little less or a little more, don't worry; simply use what you have.
For the rice and beans
- In a large pot heat the vegetable oil over medium low heat and add the chopped red onion, the finely chopped garlic and the chili flakes. Cook, stirring regularly, for approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste to the pot, along with the nutmeg, paprika and cook, stirring regularly for approximately 1 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pot and cook, stirring regularly, for an additional 1 - 2 minutes.
- Add your cooked beans to the pot, followed by the rice. Stir well until everything is combined and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining water to the pot.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium low heat and cook, covered for approximately 25 - 30 minutes. Check on your pot periodically to stir and to add more water if required. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the rice is cooked, remove pot from heat and let rest, uncovered, for approximately 5 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
We love using dry beans because they are much more economical and we tend to prefer the texture. However, you can also make this dish quite successfully with canned red kidney beans. Be sure to rinse your kidney beans well before adding them to your cooking pot.
When boiling your dry beans it is important to never add salt to the boiling water.
If you prefer a spicier dish, increase the amount of chili flakes used.