Author: Jason Parlour

Background

This has been my ‘go to’ rice dish for many years.   It started as a Caribbean style (coconut rice with kidney beans) in around 2005, and then gained influence from a bunch of other regions from around the world over the next few years, to add a multitude of contrasting flavours and textures.  

It typically uses white rice and a regular rice cooker.  Then after buying a pressure cooker in 2016, there is now a variation with brown rice too.

Serves 2 people

Ingredients:

• 1 small tin coconut cream / coconut milk (165ml)
• 1/3 cup washed basmati white rice (use the small coconut tin as a volume reference)
• 1 regular tin regular black beans (unflavoured)
• 1 small tin whole sweetcorn kernels
• 1 small block marinated style tofu, drained, but also optional.
• a small handfull pine nuts
• a dash of soy sauce / tamari sauce
• a small glug of sweet chilli sauce
• a big pinch of yeast flakes (optional)

Regular Method:

1. In a regular rice cooker, add the small tin of coconut milk or cream, refill that tin with the basmati rice and put in the rice cooker, and then fill the tin again with water and put that in too.
2. Give contents a good stir, and then start it cooking (10-15 minutes or so).
3. After a couple of minutes, add the rinsed black beans to the rice cooker, stir briefly, and then continue cooking.
4. Meanwhile lightly fry the optional pre-marinated tofu, diced up, in a little oil on a medium heat, to get the surfaces a little crispy whilst soft in the middle (about 5 minutes or so).
5. About 2-3 minutes before the rice is cooked (most of the water has been cooked off, add the drained tinned sweetcorn, and mix in briefly.
6. Once the rice cooker is done, add the small handful of pine nuts, stir through the mix.
7. Transfer to serving bowls.  Top with the fried tofu as appropriate.
8. Add a small dash of soy sauce, and a bigger dash of sweet chilli sauce.  Top with a pinch of yeast flakes if desired.

Method using brown rice & pressure cooker:

1. Add just the coconut milk, brown basmati rice, and 160ml of water, to the pressure cooker, give it a stir, cook for 10 minutes at High Pressure, and then allow to ‘warm’ for 10 minutes after.
2. If using tofu, fry this first (as above) and then set aside.
3. Using the same fry pan (emptied of tofu), fry the rinsed and drained black beans in a non-stick pan with a little oil (and crushed garlic if you’re so inclined) for about 8 minutes.
4. Add the sweetcorn to the pan, stir, and cook through for a few minutes.
5. Once the brown rice is done, add that to the pan too, stir and cook off any remaining water for a couple of minutes.
6. Then turn off the heat, add the handful of pine nuts, and transfer to serving bowls.
7. Add the tofu, dash of soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce to taste, plus the yeast flakes as desired, but don’t mix through too much.
8. Munch!