Rice with Buttered Onions and Spicy Beans on Toast - What to Eat When You're in the Comfort Zone

Melek Erdal's Revisited Beans on Toast (pictured above) It's kind of like breaking the rules, but it's also comforting. This is a recipe that came out of lockdown, the most intense part where we were barely allowed out.

We shopped about every three weeks. Limits has been an amazing time for creativity. There is a saying in Middle Eastern households that it is a blessing to use everything you have, that you bring fortune into your home. One day we didn't have much left and my roommate at the time added spices she liked and onions, ginger and garlic to the baked beans. She said it was quite a Somali thing to do. She thought it was nothing. I thought it was amazing.

I made my version, adding Turkish peppers and my own kind of spice - and we kept on doing it. do for each other, jazzing beans. It was comforting, but so good - and good for you.

It's not meant to be fancy. The baked bean flavor, sweetness and consistency really make the recipe - you couldn't do this so well with any other type of bean. I've never felt more British than when I'm cooking beans on toast for people. My roommate's family is Somali and mine is Kurdish, and this recipe is what British means to us. The baked beans got us, but we got them back.

For 1 coriander seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 teaspoons of turmeric ½ teaspoon of Aleppo pepper flakes a pinch of olive oil 4 tablespoons of onion 1 garlic 2 cloves of red pepper ½ ginger 10 g of salt and pepper beans cooked in oven ½ x 400g organic free-range egg 1, the happiest chicken you've ever had bread of your choice (I love rye for this recipe) fresh coriander a handful of lemon or lime for serving (optional)

Fry all the spices in olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute.

Finely chop the red onion, garlic, fresh chilli and ginger and add to the spices. Saute until softened and caramelized (about 10 minutes).

Add the beans to the baked beans, mix well and simmer for another 5 minutes over low heat .

While your beans are simmering, fry the egg in a separate pan and toast your bread.

Serve it all together and garnish with cilantro and maybe a wedge of lemon or lime.

Melek Erdal is a food writer and regular guest from Radio 4's The Kitchen Cabinet

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