Diri kol&eacut; ak pwa (beans and rice)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups basmati rice
• 1 cup red beans
• 8 cups water
• 5 tbsp oil, divided
• 1 tsp margarine
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves
• 3 cubes chicken stock
• 1 hot pepper
• 2 chopped shallots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme

Directions:

1. Rinse the beans and transfer to a large pot with 8 cups of water and a tablespoon of the oil. Bring to a boil and cook for an hour or two, until they start to split. Drain but keep the cooking water.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan and saute the onions, garlic, and shallots until they start to soften. Add the spices, the red beans and the stock cubes.
3. Add 6 cups of liquid from the beans (I didn’t have that much left over, so I had to top it off with water). Bring to a boil, then add the rice and the hot pepper.
4. Cook uncovered over low heat until all the water has been absorbed. Now add the last tablespoon of oil and the butter. Cover the pan and make sure the flame is on a medium-low setting. Cook for another 15 minutes.