Isn’t this a happy looking bunch of beans? The sheer sight of them filled me with joy. I wanted to do them justice and prepare a happy meal with them. That greatly succeeded!

I started by soaking these beans for 8 hours and then cooked them for a bit more than an hour.

In that hour I peeled a pomelo. For those of you who never heard of a pomelo, it is like a giant grapefruit, but less bitter and the flesh is more firm. It is not for everyone but I am crazy about them!

I cooked the black rice for 30 minutes or so and added only a tsp of vegetable stock powder (unsalted).

Now the dressing is the finishing touch for this dish!

I fried a chopped shallot in a saucepan, added a large chili-pepper (cut in small rings and deseeded), a cube of palmsugar (chopped into small pieces), tsp of cumin- powder, fresh juice of one lime, tbsp of fresh coriander leaves (chopped), pinch of sea salt and a tbsp of grated unsweetened coconut and enough water to dissolve the palm sugar. You can add water until you have reached the perfect thickness for the dressing.

Then spoon the beans and the rice in a dish (or plate), top it with the pomelo and add a large spoon of the dressing. The spicy tropical dressing which has an eastern touch meets perfect with the Mexican feel of the beans. Add some fresh coriander leaves for garnish.

I hope you will enjoy this heartwarming and fulfilling meal as much as I did!