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Afghan Kidney Bean Curry

Flo Francis

Featuring:
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Pulses
Effort:
Complexity:
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In season now

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Basmati rice, to serve*

2 cans kidney beans rinsed and drained

1 can plum tomatoes, or four large fresh tomatoes, diced with all their juices

1 mug of vegetable stock

2 red onions , diced (reserve a third for garnish)

4 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated

2 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon whole coriander seed

1 teaspoon whole cumin seed

1/2 teaspoon dried mint (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salt, to taste

Small bunch fresh coriander, chopped

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By Chef Flo Francis on behalf of Made In Hackney, taken from the charity's new cook book WE COOK PLANTS. Photography by Sarah Doig.

This delicious curry created by chef Flo Francis is a favourite at our community meal service. Rich, satisfying and deeply comforting – we guarantee it will be a repeat performer on your hob! Enjoy.

Method:

Melt 1 tablespoon of oil in a pot until hot.

Add the coriander and cumin, when they smell fragrant add the dried mint, and tomatoes and mash the tomatoes down with a fork.

Cook until they break down but still have lots of sauce and then blend them down with a stick blender (about five minutes).

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot and melt over medium-low heat.

Add two thirds of the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden.

Add the minced garlic, and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t burn.

Once the onions are nice and caramelized add the stock, the spiced tomato sauce, kidney beans, salt and pepper.

Simmer uncovered on low heat for about 15 minutes.

Adjust seasonings to taste.

Garnish with coriander and minced red onion and serve with basmati rice.

*To make turmeric rice as pictured (optional): Finely slice one white onion and fry slowly for about twenty minutes until caramelised stirring every now and then so it doesn’t stick, add one and a half teaspoons of turmeric cook for a few minutes then stir into your cooked basmati rice with a fork.

Engaging Kids

Engaging Kids

Kids who engage regularly with veg through veg-themed activities, such as arts and crafts, sensory experiences, growing and cooking are shown to be more likely to eat the veg they engage with. Encouraging kids to engage and play with veg is the handy first step to them developing a good relationship with veg and life-long healthy eating.

Kids in the kitchen

Kids in the kitchen

Kids will enjoy measuring out the ingredients, rinsing the beans and garnishing the dish. Older kids may like to carefully help you with the stick blender or mashing the tomatoes off the heat.

Master these skills:

Weighing,  Tasting,  Mixing
Activities

Activities

Why not get a selection of different dried or cooked beans and lentils and try and capture the different colours, textures and shapes with colouring pencils? Or make a rainmaker with an empty, clean lidded crisp tube or milk bottle – pour in some dried beans or lentils, decorate them and seal the lid tightly before shake, shake, shaking!

Kids more interested in science? You can find at-home science fun with veg with our videos from Stefan Gates’ here.

Find loads more free veg-themed crafts here and games here.

Sensory

Sensory

Why not explore pulses through touch and sight? There are so many different kinds of beans and lentils. Get a few types that are a good mix in size/shape and colour, dried vs cooked, etc. and see if you can and your child can describe them. What do they look like? What colours, shapes and patterns can you see? What do they remind you of? What do they feel like? Are they rough, smooth, slimy, hard?

Find more sensory ideas, tips and videos here. If you get stuck and need a little help with describing words, we have a selection for you here, too!

Serving

Serving

Next time you make this meal, try to get your kids involved in small ways wherever you can – when serving it up, why not let your child help you plate and garnish it, or maybe they could design a menu for the table.

Find the best ways of involving your own child and their skills and interests on our Roles for Kids page.

Flo Francis - Made in Hackney

Flo Francis

Flo has done many different professions – working as an acupuncturist, vintage furniture seller and various roles in the hospitality sector. A fantastic chef and baker she used to sell her own cakes at Stoke Newington Farmers Market and now is often asked to bake delicious treats at scale for Made In Hackney (MIH) events. She loves working with businesses that empower local communities and at MIH she particularly enjoys meeting all the different people and groups in the cookery classes and likewise she is much loved and appreciated by everyone she works with – her classes often ending in hugs from all the participants.

madeinhackney.org/

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