Roast plantain burrito with Mexican rice and mixed beans

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This beautiful plantain burrito recipe by Food Urchin contains the perfect formula for spicy, aromatic Mexican rice. The chilli soaking water is used to cook the rice, giving it a wonderful depth of flavour, along with a host of other delicious aromatics like cinnamon, oregano, lime and cumin.

First published in 2018

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Mexican rice

Roast plantain

Mixed beans

To serve

  • 4 corn tortillas, (large ones are best)
  • 1 bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
  • sour cream
  • salsa

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
2
To begin, soak the dried chilli in a bowl of boiling water for 20 minutes using 300ml water – the quantity is important as this is the water you'll use later to cook your rice. You may need to weigh your chilli down with a spoon if it keeps floating to the surface
3
Mix the plantain with the paprika and oil. Lightly season, spread out on a tray and bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, turning over halfway through. They should be soft when cooked and just starting to crisp up
4
Take the chilli out of the water and pat dry with some kitchen paper. At this stage, you can keep it whole or you can split it in half. If you like things spicy, go for the latter
5
Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the chilli, stirring around for a minute or two. Add the garlic, cinnamon, cumin and lime peel. Stir around for another minute before adding the rice and the oregano. Once more, stir for a minute to ensure that all the flavours are mixing in with the rice
6
Finally, add the water used to soak the chilli and bring to a boil. Reduce to a bare simmer, cover and leave to cook for 12 minutes. When the 12 minutes is up, turn the heat off but leave covered for at least another 10 minutes
7
Meanwhile, prepare the mixed beans by placing a saucepan over a medium heat and adding a splash of oil. Add the herbs, stirring through for a minute, then add the beans. Reduce the heat and keep an eye on things, stirring every now and then. You want the beans to break down a touch and thicken. If things begin to look too dry, add a splash of water
8
When the rice is ready, take off the lid and remove all the larger aromatics – the chilli, garlic and cinnamon stick – all of which should be on the top of the rice. Fluff up with a fork and season with lime juice and salt
9
To serve, lay everything out in bowls and plates and let everyone dig in for themselves. Layer up with rice, plantain and beans and garnish with sour cream and salsa. Finish with a scattering of coriander (and maybe some more lime juice) and then roll and wrap up both ends to create a burrito

Danny is a food adventurer, home grower, supper club host and writer of the entertaining and quirky epicurean blog, Food Urchin.

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