Method

1. Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water (unless using tinned ones).
2. Drain the beans and give them a rinse.
3. Chop the salad onion and separate into green and white parts.
4. Chop the onion finely.
5. Crush the garlic using a garlic press.
6. Add the oil, onion, white part of the spring onion, chillies, and garlic to a large pot. Fry on a medium heat until the onions are translucent and soft.
7. Add the tomato paste, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and cherry tomatoes plus 2 tins of water.
8. Stir in the turtle beans and leave to simmer, uncovered for 45 minutes. (If using tinned beans, don’t stir them in until 40 minutes in).
9. Meanwhile make the sour cream sauce. Zest and juice the lime into a bowl with the sour cream. Mix with a pinch of salt. Set aside until needed.
10. Remove the leaves off the cob. Cut off the sweetcorn and set aside.
11. Place 6 ovenproof mugs onto a baking tray. Rub the oil on the tortillas and place oil side down onto the mug (this is to stop it from).  Press the tortilla so it fits around tightly around the mug. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crisp and golden.
12. 5 minutes before serving, heat a large non stick pan with the oil. When the oil is hot add the fish. Shake the pan to make sure the fish doesn’t stick. After 2 minutes add the seafood and sweetcorn.
13. Stir and taste the tomato chilli for seasoning and heat (add some more chilli if desired).

To serve:

13. Place a tortilla bowl on each plate and ladle in the chilli mix, dollop of sour cream and top with seafood, sweetcorn and sprinkle some the green parts of the spring onion and wedge of lime.

Serve immediately (otherwise the bowls will become soggy and start to leak).

Get ahead:

The tomato chilli is even better made the day before (it lets the spices infuse the mix). Just fry up the seafood and make the bowls before serving.

The sour cream can be mixed a day before hand.

Tips:

Place the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds (or in the preheating oven for a couple of minutes), if they are very stiff and not pliable.

If you can’t get fresh sweet corn, tinned is fine.

If you forgot to soak your beans overnight, you can use a tin of beans instead. Add the tin of beans to the simmering tomato chilli 5 minutes before serving (add it to soon and the beans will turn to mush).

Using a bundt tin to cut the corn off the cob:

To remove corn kernels from the cob using a bundt pan, stand the shucked corn cob upright, with the tip of cob placed in the center hole of the bundt pan.It will catch all the fly away sweet corn.

If you don’t have a bundt tin, stabilize a glass bowl under a dishtowel. Fold a piece of kitchen roll and place in the centre of the bowl. Hold the corn cob in place and use a sharp knife to cut off the corn, catching them all in the bowl.

If you prefer the traditional mince instead of seafood, just add it to the onions at the beginning (make sure to brown it nicely before adding the rest of the ingredients).

This dish is perfect for sharing, encouraging everyone to just tuck in.  It can easily be adapted to serve one.  I freeze one portion size and simply defrost (the fresh garnishes such as sweet corn and green parts of spring onions are best prepared just before serving though).

Recipe courtesy of Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: London on BBC Lifestyle channel 174 on DStv. Photograph ©BBC.