Tomatoey Spiced Beans with Basmati Rice

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This is adapted from a recipe that appeared in Gourmet, March 2009 issue. The dish is warm, aromatic and very hearty over some brown Basmati rice.

• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon of ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  
• 1/2 cup of parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup of mint, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Heat oil in a heavy medium pot until it shimmers. Add ground cumin, ground coriander, ground ginger, red pepper flakes, cinnamon stick. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon then add chickpeas and black beans. Simmer until the mixture thickens, about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Discard cinnamon stick. Stir in parsley and mint. Serve over Basmati rice.

The only real modification that I made was to replace 1 can of chickpeas with 1 can of black beans. I made the substitution not because I've got some culinary insider knowledge that eludes Gourmet. I only had one can of chickpeas and was too hungry to run out and get another can. Black beans worked well in this recipe. I think they added more substance and made the dish thicker and creamier.