Eat Well for Less Spiced Ham and Black Bean Stew with Rice
This delicious Ham and Black Bean Stew with Rice, as seen on BBC's Eat Well For Less, is a failsafe weeknight recipe. This hearty dish is simple to prepare, and it's a budget-friendly way to feed a hungry crowd.
From the book
Eat Well For Less: Every Day
Budget-friendly family favourites
Easy recipes from the hit BBC series
Quick and simple midweek meals
Introduction
This delicious stew is packed with vegetables and plenty of spice, making it a hearty everyday meal. It’s perfect with rice, but is just as good served on its own for a lower carbohydrate option, or why not try it with jacket potatoes or even crusty bread?
Ingredients
| 1 tbsp | vegetable oil |
| 2 | onions, roughly chopped |
| 2 | large leeks, washed and roughly chopped |
| 3 | large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped |
| 450g | long grain white rice |
| 4 | garlic cloves, crushed or finely grated |
| 2 tbsp | ground cumin |
| 2 tbsp | ground coriander |
| 1 tbsp | coarsely ground black pepper |
| 1 tsp | dried thyme |
| 4 heaped tbsp | tomato purée |
| 2 x 400g tins | chopped tomatoes |
| 300g | lean cooked ham, roughly chopped |
| ½ | reduced-salt chicken stock cube |
| 2 x 400g tins | black beans, drained and rinsed |
| Small bunch | coriander, roughly chopped |
| Finely grated zest of 2 limes | |
| 2 | red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped (optional) |
Method
Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the vegetable oil, onions, leeks and carrots and stir to combine, then cover and cook gently for 10 minutes until just softening.
Tip the rice into a large saucepan, add 900ml of cold water and stir. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes until the rice is just tender and has absorbed all the water (leave it undisturbed during cooking). Without stirring, turn the heat off and leave the rice to steam until the stew is ready.
Meanwhile, add the garlic, cumin, ground coriander, black pepper and thyme to the pan of onions, stir well and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée, then add the tomatoes, ham and crumbled stock cube.
Fill both the empty tomato tins with water, swirl around and add to the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes until the vegetables are just tender, stirring occasionally.
Add the black beans to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes until hot through.
Stir in half of the chopped coriander and all the lime zest, then serve the stew with the rice. Scatter the remaining coriander over the top, and a little red chilli too, if you like it hot!
