Spiced Brown Rice with Beans and Almonds

Ingredients:

100g dried aduki beans (or black eyed peas),

soaked overnight

1tsp vegetable oil

400g basmati brown rice

½tsp fennel seeds

¼tsp ground cinnamon

½tsp ground coriander

50g blanched almonds, toasted and roughly chopped

10g fresh mint, leaves only, roughly chopped

Method:

1. Soak the beans overnight in a large bowl of cold water.

2. Drain then cook in a pan of boiling water for 1½ hours, or until tender.

3. Drain.

4. When there are 20 minutes to go for the beans, start the rice.

5. Heat the oil in a heavy based pan with a tight fitting lid.

6. Add brown rice and spices and cook, stirring over a medium heat for 1 minute.

7. Pour in enough water from the kettle to submerge the rice in two fingers widths of liquid then season lighlty with salt.

8. Bring the pan to the boil, cover with a lid and cook over a very low heat for 8 minutes.

9. Remove from the heat and leave to stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

10. Fluff up the rice with a fork then fold in the beans, almonds and fresh mint.

11. Serve immediately.