Beans on rice

Name: Beans on rice
Total time: 1200 s
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 medium (or 1/2 large) red onion, finely chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 green pepper, finely chopped; 2 sticks celery, finely chopped; 1 can (398 ml) red kidney beans, rinsed and well-drained; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 1/2 cups chicken stock; Steamed white rice

Robert Gonzal @robert

Vancouver BC

Like many people, I have a weak spot for good fried chicken. And from among the major outlets, my favourite is Popeye's. Honestly, though, it's not their delicious chicken alone that puts them over the top; it's their red beans and rice. Something about that little side dish of smushed beans and savoury sauce soaking into fluffy rice just speaks to me. So I decided to make my own. I didn't try to make an exact copy, and mine's also a little less watery than theirs (my only nitpick). But I think it came out just as delicious and comforting at the end.

Robert Gonzal @robert

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Ingredients

20 minutes

4 people

1medium (or 1/2 large) red onion, finely chopped
4 clovesgarlic, minced
1green pepper, finely chopped
2 stickscelery, finely chopped
1 can (398 ml)red kidney beans, rinsed and well-drained
2 tbsptomato paste
1 tspgarlic powder
1 tspsmoked paprika
1 tspground cumin
1/2 tsponion powder
1/4 tspcayenne pepper
1 1/2 cupschicken stock
Steamed white rice

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Steps

20 minutes

1

Add a splash of veg oil to a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Stir in the beans and continue cooking another 2 or 3 minutes.
2

Add the tomato paste, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, onion powder, cayenne, a good pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper. Toss to coat, and cook for about 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and turn the heat down to medium. Let simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.
3

Using a spatula, press down on the beans to crush them into the sauce. Don't worry if you don't get them all or if they're not all completely crushed. Let simmer a final minute or two, then serve poured over freshly steamed rice. Alternatively, you can add a couple of cups of cooked rice to the pan, and fold it into the beans for a more uniform dish.