Fiery lentils and beans - Actifry recipe

Each time I go to the Caribbean, I feel like I’m in food heaven. Bread fruit, plantain, flavour-rich rice, jerk chicken, gorgeous curries, ackee and saltfish, rum laced cake, spicy patties - it’s a culinary joy.

As part of their latest campaign, "New Year's Revolution", Tefal challenged me to use the ActiFry to create something delicious and healthy with a little taste of the Caribbean.

If you're not already familiar with the ActiFry, it's an iconic kitchen appliance sometimes called an "air fryer". It works using hot air and a stirring paddle, meaning you can cook up a big batch of tasty, crispy, evenly cooked chips with just one small spoonful of oil.

But it can also be used to make all sorts of other meals, from meatballs to stir-frys, to cakes (check out my blueberry cake to see how well it works!)

So, with Caribbean flavours on my mind, I grabbed my trusty jar of jerk seasoning marinade from the fridge and got to work on a simple side dish that takes minimal active prep and is packed with beans, lentils and peas that you’ll often find in Caribbean cuisine.

I must stress, this fiery lentils and beans recipe isn’t an authentic Caribbean dish, rather a homage to those wonderful flavours and a way to experience a new dish outside of your normal homecooking.

So, if you tend to stick to only enjoy Caribbean food when out to eat, or even if the only beans you usually to cook with are the ones that you put on toast, and then this is a great way to shake things up!

You might not have heard of some of the pulses we're using, but don't worry, they're all easily found in the World Food's aisle - look for the Caribbean section.

So, let’s plug in the Actifry and make some hot hot hot lentils, beans and peas in jerk marinade.

Here's the full recipe for this fiery lentils and beans dish.

Instructions

Put the oil, onion, garlic, chilli and jerk marinade into the bowl of the Actifry and close the lid.

Set to manual mode, temp 220C/425F, set the timer to 10 minutes and press start.

Add the turmeric, tomatoes and all of the lentils, beans and peas, plus the freshly boiled water or stock and close the lid.

Set to manual mode, temp 220C/425F, set the timer to 20 minutes and press start.

Taste to determine if you'd like to add a little more moisture to the dish. If so, simply stir in a splash of freshly boiled water.

And that’s it. An amazingly satisfying, high protein and deliciously fiery side dish.

What did you think of this delicious Caribbean inspired dish?

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4.8 from 104 votes

Fiery Lentils and Beans - Actifry Recipe

An amazingly satisfying, high protein and deliciously fiery side dish, made in the ActiFry with jerk marinade, beans, peas and lentils.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Caribbean

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: 8 side servings

Author: Emily Leary

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (canola oil)
• 1 large (1) onion finely chopped
• 4 cloves (4) garlic minced
• 1 red or green chilli deseeded and finely chopped (leave out if you like it a little less fiery)
• 2 tbsp jerk seasoning marinade paste
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 4 fresh tomatoes chopped
• 265 g (9.3 oz) green lentils 1 can
• 130 g (4.6 oz) canned red kidney beans ½ can
• 240 g (8.5 oz) canned black eye beans 1 can
• 240 g (8.5 oz) gungo peas (aka pigeon pea) 1 can
• 270 g (9.5 oz) green pigeon peas 1 can
• 700 ml (1.5 pint) vegetable stock hot

Equipment

• Air fryer
• Weighing scales
• Measuring spoons
• Colander
• Kitchen knife
• Chopping board
• Measuring jug

Instructions

• Put the oil, onion, garlic, chilli and jerk marinade into the bowl of the Actifry and close the lid.
• Set to manual mode, temp 220C/425F, set the timer to 10 minutes and press start.
• Add the turmeric, tomatoes and all of the lentils, beans and peas, plus the hot stock, and close the lid.
• Set to manual mode, temp 220C/425F, set the timer to 20 minutes and press start.
• Taste to determine if you'd like to add a little more moisture to the dish. If so, simply stir in a splash of freshly boiled water. 

Video

Notes

If you prefer, you can make this dish in a large saucepan on the stove. Simply heat the oil in the pan, then add the onion, garlic, chilli and jerk marinade and frying until softened. Add all the other ingredients, bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer, pop on the lid and cook for 30 minutes until softened and cooked through.

Nutrition

Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 412mg | Potassium: 935mg | Fiber: 20g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1305IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 5mg

* Note: nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published. Information on this website should not be taken as medical advice. Cuisines identify the primary region of inspiration for a dish.

Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and tag @amummytoo on Instagram or tag @EmilyLearyCooks on Twitter. I can't wait to see your posts!

This is a commissioned post for Actifry.

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