I was thinking what to have for lunch the other day and I don't know if I heard it on the radio or if it popped into my head randomly, but I thought about how I hadn't had coronation chicken in ages. We're currently in lock down so without any chicken in the fridge I started thinking and Googling what else I could use. Coronation chickpeas came up a fair bit, but I didn't have those either. What I did have though, was cannellini beans and some tinned tuna ...and so this recipe was born!
You might notice there's a few and/or's in the ingredients list, which I've done on purpose so you can adjust the recipe according to what you have at home.
Serves 4
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled & grated 1½ tsp tomato paste 1 tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed ¼ tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp mild curry powder 40g golden raisins (optional) 2 tbsp apricot jam, marmalade or mango chutney Salt and pepper 75g Greek-style yoghurt if lactose intolerant look for lactose free varieties 1 400g tin of cannellini beans, chickpeas or butter beans 1 110-150g tin of tuna in olive oil, drained ½ a red onion finely sliced and submerged in water for 10 minutes Small bunch of fresh coriander 20g of almonds or peanuts, roughly chopped 1 red chili, finely sliced 2-4 Curry leaves, bay leaves or kaffir lime leaves Zest of 1 lemon
Method: Put 2 tbs of the olive oil into a large sauté pan, add the onions, stirring until soft and light brown, to that add the garlic, ginger, tomato paste and spices. Mix well for a few minutes then add in 250 ml of water. Add the jam or chutney, raisins, pinch of salt and generous grind of pepper and allow to gently simmer for 10 minutes or so, reducing to a slightly thicker consistency, turn off the heat and leave to stand for a further 10 minutes.
Returning to a low heat, add in the yoghurt and beans, mix well then remove 4 tbsp of the mixture to a separate bowl. Using a fork crush the beans till the resemble a thick paste. Return the crushed beans to the pan, add the tuna, pre-soaked red onion, coriander and another pinch of salt. Mix well and transfer to a serving platter.
Topping: Put the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil into a small frying pan, add the chopped chili and lemon zest cook for about seven minutes then add in the curry, bay or kaffir lime leaves and cook for a further 4 minutes or so until everything looks rich in colour without becoming burnt!
To serve: Scatter the crushed nuts over the tuna bean mixture and on top of that, drizzle the oil, chili, lemon and leaves (the topping). Best served at room temperature, with salad, or for a more heartier meal, dollop on top of a jacket potato!
ENJOY!
#lockdownlunch #tuna #cannellinibeans #coronationtunabeansalad #protein