South African Chakalaka Bean Toasts

Ingredients

• 1 can baked beans or white beans
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 2 carrots, coarsely grated
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 to 2 red chilies, minced
• 3 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 4 thick slices whole-grain bread
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat and cook the onion with a pinch of salt for 6 to 8 minutes, until soft and golden at the edges.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, chilies, and curry powder and stir for 1 minute, until the spices smell toasted rather than dusty.
3. Add the diced peppers and cook for 6 minutes, until they soften but still hold their shape.
4. Add the grated carrot and cook for 3 minutes only. Chakalaka should keep some bite and texture, so do not cook the carrot down to mush.
5. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, pressing them down, until they collapse into a thick relish and the oil separates at the edges.
6. Fold in the beans and simmer for 5 minutes, until hot and thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon rather than running off the toast.
7. Season with salt and a squeeze of lime, and taste for heat; chakalaka should be assertively spiced.
8. Toast the bread until crisp, pile the hot chakalaka on top, and finish with the cilantro and lime wedges.

Allergen note: Contains gluten.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.