Plantbased Mexican Bowl

I was walking in the dark alleys of a random Persian supermarket in Germany… I picked up a bag of black beans and some masala and headed home to make dal. The next morning, I realized that I’d fly back to Cairo before I finish up the beans so I decided to make tacos…

Fast forward, four months later, I still didn’t make those tacos but I made this, over and over again!

This bowl is hearty, easy to make and cheap. Because the ingredients are usually canned, it can be put together in any season and it’s definitely a crowd pleaser so go ahead and try serving it next time you have people over and let me know what they think!

INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup basmati rice uncooked 1 cup black beans cooked and drained 1 cup corn 1 lime 1/2 onion 1/2 avocado 2 stalks fresh cilantro or corriander a pinch of salt and pepper a pinch of paprika or cayenne pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook rice according to package instructions.
2. Chop the onion and cilantro and set aside.
3. If using canned beans and corn then drain and rinse them, then set aside to air dry.
4. After the rice is cooked, let it cool down for a few minutes before stirring in the juice of half a lime, quarter of the chopped onion, the chopped cilantro and the spices. Taste to adjust the spices according to your personal preference.
5. Once the rice is ready, combine with the corn and beans and serve in a bowl.
6. For the guacamole, mash half an avocado with the juice of half a lime, the rest of the chopped onion and the same spices. Serve the guacamole on top of the rice, bean and corn mixture, and enjoy!

RECIPE NOTES

I realize that black beans are not easy to find in Cairo but red kidney beans could work very well in this recipe.

This dish can be served warm or chilled, according to the season and your preference. All you need to do if you want to serve it chilled is to let it cool down to the room temperature and you're good to go!