Black Bean, Broccoli and Mushroom Rice Pot

This recipe is a nice, filling dish (appropriate for the snowstorm we were having in Rhode Island at the time) that resulted from a risotto craving. With no risotto in my dorm room, I settled upon with brown rice, which works very nicely, given its nutty flavour and grainy texture. That being said, it takes much longer to cook, and I do think that this would turn out very nicely no matter what rice you use. Mustard seeds can also be hard to come by, but if you find them, they add a lovely, peppery little kick to the dish.

Cooking up the hotpot! 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds (optional)
A tablespoon of olive oil
½ head of broccoli
1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can of black beans, drained
1 ½ cups of brown rice (you can adjust this depending on how hungry you are)
1 teaspoon of chilli powder
½ teaspoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of black pepper
2 cups of water (adjust according to the amount of rice and the texture you desire)
1 vegetable stock cube
½ teaspoon salt (stock cubes can be salty, so taste before adding any salt)


Method:

In a small saucepan, bring the water to the boil, and then add the rice. Cook for 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan/dutch oven, heat the oil on a low-medium heat, adding the mustard seeds. Cover the pot (the seeds pop and will escape if you don’t!) until the seeds stop popping or there are 1-2 seconds between each popping noise.

Add the onion to the seeds, and fry for 7 minutes, or until soft and golden brown. Add the beans to the onion and mustard seed mixture.

Meanwhile, chop the broccoli into bite-size pieces, before adding to the bean mix. Season with the salt, pepper, stock cube, chilli powder and cumin, and stir for about 10 minutes. Add the rice when it's ready, along with the cream of mushroom soup.

If the dish seems dry, or if you want a more soupy texture, add water accordingly, by the ½ cup until you have the desired texture. Bring to a medium heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently (I have bad luck with rice sticking to the bottom of my saucepan!)

Serve in bowls or on plates, preserving any leftovers in the fridge for the next wintery day!