THE NEW BEAN ON THE BLOCK - BLACK BEANS

Black beans are my new favourite bean. I’ve recently started to consume a great deal more Mexican food than I used to; this is due to the epic chain Guzman Y Gomez opening up in Brisbane. One Sunday night at home, gorging on takeaway from this Mexican Taqueria (where, would you believe, a huge chunk of the menu is gluten free) I told myself that I would cook a dish of my very own with black beans. 

Locating this bean was another matter. The supermarkets I frequented had no idea what black beans are. Even a few specialty health food stores gave me quizzical looks when I mentioned this ingredient. Mrs Flannery’s health food store came to the rescue yesterday afternoon, when the lady behind the counter told me that they stocked 3 different varieties! This is a long-winded way of telling you that I went to a lot of trouble to locate this bean. But its was well worth it. Continue reading for the recipe. 

CHICKEN & BLACK BEAN 


INGREDIENTS

• 500g chicken breast, cut into 3cm pieces
• 1 bunch baby broccoli (broccolini), each stalk divided into 3 pieces 
• 150 snow peas, trimmed 
• 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
• 3cm fresh ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 400g tinned black beans, drained 
• 1 1/2 cups doongara rice 
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons black bean sauce 
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce 

COOKING 

1. Pour rice into a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer until rice is completely absorbed. 

2. Steam baby broccoli and snow peas. (I did this by bringing a medium saucepan of water to the boil and placing a colander on top of the saucepan. Place the vegetables in the colander and cover with a lid. Alternatively you can use a steamer if you are lucky enough to  possess one). Steam for 7-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 

3. Meanwhile, pour sesame oil in a wok and swirl to coat the base. Cook onion, garlic and ginger on medium heat until onion is soft. Add chicken pieces to the wok and stir-fry until chicken is coloured and just cooked (no pink flesh remains). 

4. Add drained black beans to the cooked chicken and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add cooked vegetables and lime juice, black bean, oyster and soy sauce and stir well to combine. 

5. Serve black bean dish on top of a bed of rice. 

x E