Red dragon is a Chinese name for aduki beans, which gives this dish its lovely name. It can be made with a mashed potato topping but the golden polenta used in this version makes it extra comforting! The squash can be replaced with carrots, sweet potatoes or mushrooms. You may like to add a few mixed herbs. It is important that the polenta is not ready too much before the aduki beans are cooked as it will set and be hard to spread. So if you are using quick-cook polenta, start cooking when you add the carrots to the beans and rice as it will take about 5 minutes once it has come to the boil. If you are using traditional polenta, it will take about 30 minutes, so start once the beans have been boiling for 30 minutes.
Serves 4–6
- 225g/8oz aduki beans, soaked for at least 8 hours or overnight
- 110g/4oz brown rice, soaked with the aduki beans
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp miso paste (optional)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- about 1 litre/1¾ pints water
- 2 tsp salt
- 225g/8oz polenta
- 50g/2oz butter or olive oil
- 110g/4oz Cheddar or Red Leicester cheese, grated
- 2 tsp paprika
To serve
a green salad or steamed green vegetables
Drain and rinse the aduki beans and rice. Put them in a pan and cover with fresh water. Bring to the boil and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about 50 minutes until both the beans and rice are tender.
Add the carrots, garlic and squash and season with salt and pepper. Add a little more water, if necessary, so the ingredients are just covered, and return to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. The beans will have partially broken down, creating a thick sauce.
Meanwhile, boil the water for the polenta. For slow-cooking polenta this will be 4–5 times the amount of polenta but check the instructions on the packet. Add 2 tsp salt to the water and slowly pour the polenta into the boiling water, stirring all the time so that no lumps form. Return to a simmer and cook until the polenta is tender, stirring very frequently to prevent sticking and clumping. The cooking time will be about 5 minutes for quick-cook polenta or 30 for traditional polenta.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5.
Once the aduki beans and vegetables are cooked, turn off the heat. Remove a small amount of cooking liquid from the aduki beans and mix it with the olive oil and miso paste, if using. Stir the paste back into the aduki-bean mixture, then transfer the aduki-bean mixture to a large ovenproof dish.
Once the polenta is cooked, stir in the butter or olive oil and most of the grated cheese. Taste and add more salt, if necessary. Spread the polenta over the aduki bean mix, sprinkle with paprika and the remaining cheese and bake in the oven for 30–40 minutes until hot right through and golden on top.
Serve with a green salad or steamed green vegetables.
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