added this 18 years ago
Cumin Beans n Rice
What you need:
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tb olive oil (I used oil spray)
2 tb cumin seeds (or cumin powder)
1 1/2 cups white rice (you could use brown; increase cooking time)
1 can (~15 oz.) beans- kidney, black, navy, garbanzo, etc
2 tb chopped fresh cilantro
1 3/4 cup vegetable broth
What you do:
Saute onion and garlic in oil (or spray) until translucent. Add the cumin seeds, cook on medium-high heat for one more minute. Add the rice, cook another minute. Add the vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover, and simmer until rice is cooked (about 15 minutes for white rice, 45 minutes for brown). After the rice mixture is cooked, add the beans. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes on low heat. Add the chopped cilantro, and serve!
Preparation Time:
30 minutes
Cooking Time:
Servings:
4
Recipe Category:
SO HOW'D IT GO?
5 min. cook time after adding beans is too short to blend flavors - perhaps why the bland taste, which should improve after a day or 2, as is the case with most stews.
Tomato addition is good, also miirepoix (onion, celery, carrot trinity) would help as well.
I make this type of bean/rice dish cooking beans first ( low boil ) until semi-soft (1 hr.), add brown rice for next 45 min ( simmer ). then during last 20 of those 45 add veg. (mirepoix, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, whatever). Veg should turn out cooked but firm. For heat, fresh ginger or a salsa, chilies, etc. Plus add whatever other herbs / spices.
Reason for long bean cook time is use of soaked dried. ( Soak in fridge overnight. If you forget or are unable to use them next day they will keep well in the fridge for the next few days. )
This would be slow-cooker adaptable no doubt.
This came out disappointingly bland. (I used brown rice.) Salt helped salvage things somewhat, but I'd rather use less of that and not more. I think I'll try the tomato puree suggestion, or something similar, to try to add some flavor to this.
this is delicious. definitely use brown rice it tastes no worse only better i'd like to think : ). i would recommend some possible variations--done with plain tomato puree from a can to give it the tomatoey quality lots of veans and rice dishes have, done with just a teaspoon or two of lemon juice to round it out with some tartness. black pepper and salt to taste and extra garlic never hurts, etc. thank you for this recipe.