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Black beans with lime and coriander

Tinned black beans simmered with red onion, garlic and toasted cumin until creamy, then woken up with lime and fresh coriander. A filling side that turns any plate into a meal.

AI-generated photograph: Glossy black beans spooned into a small hand-thrown stone bowl, a scatter of bright green coriander, fine lime zest and a lime half on the side
  • 20 minutes
  • Prep 5 minutes
  • Cook 15 minutes
  • Serves 4

Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Gluten free
  • Dairy free

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Half a teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 tins (400g each) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • Half a teaspoon salt
  • 1 lime, zest finely grated and juiced
  • 15g fresh coriander, chopped

Let's cook

  1. Heat the oil in a medium pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and see-through.
  2. Add the garlic, cumin and smoked paprika and stir for 1 minute, until it smells toasty.
  3. Tip in the beans with 100ml water and the salt. Bring to a gentle bubble and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then.
  4. Press about a quarter of the beans against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon to crush them. This thickens the liquid into a creamy sauce that clings to the whole beans. Add a splash more water if it gets too thick.
  5. Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the lime zest, the lime juice and most of the coriander. Taste and add more salt or lime if needed. Scatter over the rest of the coriander to serve.

Tips

  • Add the lime off the heat: cooking it dulls its fresh taste.
  • Rinsing tinned beans removes the cloudy, salty liquid and gives a cleaner flavour.
  • Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat until steaming hot.

Swaps

  • Some heat: add a chopped green chilli with the garlic.
  • Other beans: pinto or kidney beans work the same way.
  • Smoky and deeper: stir in 1 tablespoon tomato purée with the spices.

Tags

In Twenty minute dinners, Plant powered.

None of the 14 allergens is in this recipe as written.

Check every packet for allergens.

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