BEANS IN A SWEET SPICY SAUCE

You can serve this with just about anything you like - and for a snack or light lunch it goes great on toast. We usually serve with brown basmati (which gets used for most things here) and some quickly sauteed vegetables in whichever herbs and spices suit our mood of the day.

BEANS IN SWEET SPICY SAUCE

2 Tbsp dried wakame/seaweed, soaked and cut into tiny pieces
1 Tbsp (or as little as you can get away with) canola oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1 small carrot, grated
3 green onions or scallions, finely chopped
2 cups soybeans, cooked and drained
2 Tbsp molasses (or use brown sugar if you prefer)
1 tsp sea salt
large pinch of crushed chillies (OK, this is optional - but it is a great addition!)
1 tsp dark sesame oil

Put the canola oil in a skillet and when it reaches medium to high heat add the ginger, grated carrot , green onions, crushed chilies and stir. Then add the seaweed, stir again, and then the beans plus 1 cup of water (or their cooking liquid if you have it). Throw in the sugar and the salt and stir again and bring it back to the simmer.

Turn the heat down to low, so that it keeps on the simmer, and cook it for 30 minutes with the lid partially covering the pan.

Keep an eye on this, for when you have a wonderfully thick mass of beans in a syrup you're done! Adjust seasonings, avoid eating it out of the pan, remove from heat, avoid eating it out of the pan, add sesame oil, avoid eating it out of the pan- and serve.

It's remarkably simple and very good!