Vegetarian mains
Squash & chickpea chilli bowl with red rice & shredded spring onions
A slightly different take on chilli, using chickpeas instead of kidney beans. Unlike white rice, red rice retains some bite when cooked, which gives an extra nutty texture to the dish.
Cook's notes
We've added shredded spring onions to provide an extra flavour hit. It also adds a crunchy texture to the dish. Use 4-6 spring onions depending on size. Unlike white rice, red rice retains some bite when cooked, which gives an extra nutty texture to the dish. If you're not a fan of overly spicy food, then just add half the amount of chilli.
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- oil for frying e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 150g red rice
- ½ butternut squash
- 50g fresh ginger
- 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves
- 1 fresh chilli
- ½ tin chickpeas
- chilli spice pot containing:
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 2-3 spring onions
- 15g fresh parsley
- 10g mint
- 1 lemon
Method
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Step 1
Peel and finely dice the onion. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring now and then to stop it catching. Add a splash of water if it looks like it might.
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Step 2
Rinse the rice in a sieve. Transfer to a saucepan. Cover with plenty of water and bring to the boil. Cook for about 25 minutes, until just tender but still with bite. Peel and dice half the butternut squash into about 3cm chunks. Peel and finely grate the ginger so you have 1 tablespoon worth.
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Step 3
Peel and finely chop or crush 1 large garlic clove. Halve, deseed and finely chop the chilli. After 10 minutes, add the squash, ginger, garlic and chilli to the onion. Stir for 2 minutes. Add the chilli spice pot and tomato purée. Stir for 1 minute.
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Step 4
Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and the chickpeas. Refill the tomato tin with water and add that. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the pan up to the boil. Lower the heat and cook for about 15 minutes, until the squash is tender.
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Step 5
Keep an eye on the liquid and top up with a little water towards the end if it starts to look too dry. Meanwhile, trim and finely shred 2-3 spring onions, depending on size. Wash, shake dry and roughly chop the parsley leaves and the mint.
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Step 6
Once the squash is tender, stir in most of the chopped fresh herbs, adding a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Check the seasoning. Serve with the rice, sprinkled with the shredded spring onions and remaining herbs.
