Traditional Vegetable

Name: Traditional Vegetable
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: Tex-Mex Menu
Ingredients: Onion — 200 g; Green Bell Pepper — 150 g; Red Bell Pepper — 150 g; Garlic — 2 tbsp; Basmati Rice — 200 g; Black Beans — 435 g; Frozen Corn — 125 g; Passata — 175 ml; Vegetable Broth — 250 ml; Ground Cumin — 1 tsp; Paprika — 1 tsp; Cayenne Pepper — ¼ tsp

This vibrant and healthy one-pot rice and bean dish is a flavour-packed Mexican-inspired meal that is both incredibly simple to prepare and naturally vegan. With a base of aromatic onions, bell peppers, and garlic, the tender basmati rice is beautifully complemented by savoury black beans and sweet corn, making it a quick, nutritious, and soul-warming dinner that is perfect for any night of the week.

Cuisines

Cooking Instructions

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

Notes:

Washing the basmati rice thoroughly until the water runs clear is a vital step to remove excess starch, ensuring that your final dish has a perfectly fluffy texture rather than becoming sticky.

The Holy Trinity of Mexican-inspired cooking—onions, bell peppers, and garlic—is the foundational base for this recipe; sautéing these until they are soft and caramelised is key to developing a rich, deep flavour profile.

Using passata or strained tomatoes as the liquid base, along with vegetable broth, adds a lovely acidity and brightness that balances the earthy richness of the black beans and sweet corn.

After bringing the rice and bean mixture to a boil, cover the pot tightly and reduce the heat to low; let it simmer gently without lifting the lid, which allows the steam to cook the rice evenly.

Once the cooking is complete, stirring in fresh coriander, green onions, and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice just before serving provides a burst of freshness that lifts the entire dish.

Prepare Aromatics
Sauté diced onions, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper in a pan with olive oil and salt until softened and caramelised, then stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant.

Build Flavour
Add the passata, ground cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper to the sautéed vegetables, stirring well to combine the spices and tomato base into a rich, cohesive mixture.

Combine and Cook
Stir in the rinsed basmati rice, drained black beans, frozen corn, salt, and vegetable broth, bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

Finish
Remove from heat, stir in the fresh coriander, green onions, a drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, then cover and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.