Smoky Lean Pork Chilli With Herby Rice And Popped Beans

Preheat the oven to 240°C /220°C (fan) / gas 9 and boil a kettle

Rinse your brown rice, add it to a pot with plenty of cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20-25 min or until it's tender with a slight bite

Once cooked, drain, return it to the pot and keep covered until serving

While the rice is cooking, peel and finely dice your red onion[s]

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a low heat

Once hot, add the diced red onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 10 min or until slightly softened

While the onion softens, drain and rinse your kidney beans, reserving the liquid

Add half of the drained kidney beans to a baking tray (you'll use the rest later!)

Drizzle them with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper

Put the tray in the oven for 20-25 min or until the skins have burst and are crispy – these are your popped beans

While the kidney beans are in the oven, dissolve your beef stock mix in 350ml [455ml] [600ml] boiled water

Add your ground cinnamon to the red onion and cook for 1 min

Increase the heat to high, add the your lean pork mince (remove the paper if required!) to the pan and cook for 5-6 min or until beginning to brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go

Add your tomato paste and chipotle paste (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) to the pan

Cook for 1 min, then add the beef stock and a large pinch of sugar

Cook for 10 min or until slightly thickened in consistency

Add the remaining kidney beans with the reserved kidney bean liquid and cook for a further 5 min or until the sauce has thickened to a chilli-like consistency and the meat is cooked through (no pink meat!)– this is your smoky lean pork chilli

While the chilli is cooking, trim, then slice your spring onion[s] finely

Chop your coriander finely, including the stalks

Grate your cheddar cheese

Once the rice is cooked, mix through the sliced spring onion and chopped coriander and season with a pinch of salt – this is your herby rice