Ingredients:
225g dried red kidney bans, soaked over-night
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 red bell pepper, de-seeded and diced
1/2 green bell pepper, de-seeded and dived
1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped (de-seed and remove the membranes if you want it milder)
1 tsp mixed herbs, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice
5 tbsp gari
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Drain the soaked kidney beans then transfer to a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Continue boiling rapidly for 15 minutes. At this point, reduce the heat and continue boiling for 60 minutes, or until the beans are fully tender (top up with boiling water as needed during this time).
Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Now pre-heat your oven to 190C (Gas Mark 5) and grease a 900g loaf tin.
Melt the butter (or margarine) in a large frying pan and use to fry the onion, garlic and bell peppers for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the chilli and herbs then season to taste with salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Stir to combine then take off the heat and set aside.
Add the cooked kidney beans to the bowl of a blender or food processor and process to a pulp. Add the onion and bell pepper mixture and pulse to combine then blend to mix thoroughly. Turn into a bowl, set aside to cool slightly then stir in the eggs, followed by the lemon juice.
Place the gari in a separate bowl then sprinkle generously with warm water. Allow to soak for 5 minutes, at which point the gari should become soft and fluffy. Mix the gari with the bean and egg mixture, stirring thoroughly until well combined. If the mixture is a little stiff, simply blend in a little of the reserved bean cooking liquid.
Spoon the resultant mixture into the prepared loaf tin then transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for 35–45 minutes until set and firm to the touch.
Set aside for the loaf to cool in the tin then turn out onto a plate before cutting into thick slices. Serve immediately.
