Ingredients
2-3 courgettes, chopped
A handful of unsalted cashew nuts
2 green peppers, deseeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Black Bean & Garlic sauce
new potatoes, boiled, roughly chopped (optional)
Method
1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and then add the garlic. Wait a moment or two and then add the chopped green peppers and stir fry for a few minutes. Then add the courgettes and cook for another five minutes or so, stirring to ensure the vegetables don’t burn.
2. Add the blackbean sauce and around 125 ml of water. Bring back to the boil and then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. After five minutes, add the cashews (and cooked potatoes, if using), cover, and continue to simmer until the courgettes and green peppers are perfectly tender.
Variations: Try this with different combinations of green vegetables – courgettes and green beans is yummy too (frozen beans work just fine).
For speed and convenience I tend to use the Black Bean Sauce I get from my local Chinese Supermarket, but you can also make your own:
Use a fork to mash 150g of cooked black beans in a bowl (or use a 170g tin of black beans, rinsed and drained). Put 2 teaspoons of cornflour into a cup or small bowl and stir in 125ml of vegetable stock; add this to the mashed beans. Stir in 1 tbsp mushroom soy sauce, 1 tsp of sugar and 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed.
- 2-3 courgettes, chopped.
- a handful of unsalted cashew nuts
- 2 green peppers, deseeded and chopped.
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp Black Bean & Garlic sauce
- new potatoes, boiled and roughly chopped (optional)
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and then add the garlic. Wait a moment or two and then add the chopped green peppers and stir fry for a few minutes. Then add the courgettes and cook for another five minutes or so, stirring to ensure the vegetables don't burn.
- Add the blackbean sauce and around 125 ml of water. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. After five minutes, add the cashews (and cooked potatoes, if using), cover, and continue to simmer until the courgettes and green peppers are perfectly tender.
To make your own Black Bean Sauce: use a fork to mash 150g of cooked black beans in a bowl (or use a 170g tin, rinsed and drained). Put 2 teaspoons of cornflour into a cup or small bowl and stir in 125ml of vegetable stock; add this to the mashed beans. Stir in 1 tbsp mushroom soy sauce, 1 tsp of sugar and 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed.