You’ve heard of Cottage Pie & Shepherds Pie but this is Arabian Pie. The hole in the middle which has been zoomed is there so that you can see what’s inside. It is not a necessary part of preparing it!
CALORIE DENSITY: 22% = 1016kcal/(1152ml x 4)
- Baked beans: 250g: 156kcal (250ml) Asda SP Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce 410g for 23p
- Tuna 102g: 116kcal (102ml) Asda SP Tuna Chunks in Brine 145g can for 59p
- Couscous 250ml (200g): 648kcal (500ml) Asda Cous Cous 500g packet 65p = 26p
- Gravy: 20g: 100kcal (250ml) Asda SP Gravy Granules 200g for 20p = 3p
- Open the can of baked beans, rinse the beans in water and transfer what is now just cooked haricot beans into a large serving bowl.
- Open the can of tuna, drain and chop/mix the tuna into the bowl containing beans.
- Microwave for 2mins at 800W
- Measure 250ml of water into a glass jug, microwave at 800W for 3mins 30secs, add 4 heaped teaspoons of gravy granules stirring vigorously as you do so until the gravy thickens without any lumps.
- Add the gravy to the bowl containing the beans and tuna.
- Measure 250ml of couscous into a large jug, add 250ml of boiling water and stir vigorously. You can also add half a teaspoon of turmeric if you want the pie to look browned.
- Microwave for 2mins at 800W.
- Carefully spoon the couscous on top of the beans, tuna & gravy in the bowl to produce your Arabian Pie as pictured but without a hole.
- Microwave for 2mins at 800W.
Serve as it is or divide into portions. You should mix the couscous with beans, tuna & gravy as you eat the meal and add salt to taste if required. This makes two meals for a man like me (large frame and vigorously active) or four meals for a lady. I don’t mention the calories for each meal because when you indulge in eating natural low density food which has a density of less than 25% you just eat as much as your appetite dictates and then stop eating. This meal tastes equally delicious with any of the pulses although I have to say that chickpeas are my favourite! The pulses I regularly use are: chickpeas, butter beans, cannellini beans, borlotti beans, haricot beans, pinto beans, black-eyed beans, black beans and kidney beans. You could add some green vegetables if you like but I just take multi-vitamins because they’re more effective and a lot cheaper.