Asian Bean Salad

This is a great and versatile salad to serve with barbecued food such as our baked Chinese spare ribs or on its own as a cheap and tasty vegan meal. You can play around with the number of fresh chillies you add to the dressing, and even the spices used. In the winter you can use bags of frozen, ready-mixed beans and peas (as in our photo). Leftovers keep beautifully in the fridge for a couple of days. Serves 6

Ingredients

• 800g-1kg mixed beans (edamame, broad, french, peas)

• 1 red pepper, cubed

• 120ml good quality oil

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

• zest and juice of 2 lemons

• finely chopped red chillies, to taste

• 1 heaped tbsp whole spices (we suggest cumin, coriander & caraway)

• handful each of finely chopped mint & coriander

Recipe

1. Add the beans to a large pan of boiling water, bring back to the boil and cook for a couple of minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.

2. Roughly grind the spices.

3. In a large frying pan heat the oil, add the spices, lemon zest and juice and gently cook for a few minutes.

4. Add the peppers, chillies and garlic and cook until fairly soft.

5. Add the drained beans and warm through, then stir in the herbs.

6. Serve warm or cold.