Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan). While the oven warms, take your 9x13 inch baking dish and lightly grease it with a little oil or butter. You want the quinoa to release easily when serving.

Combine the dry ingredients directly in the dish. Add the rinsed quinoa, drained black beans, sweetcorn, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir them together with a spoon — you will hear the gentle clatter of the beans against the dish, and the spices will release a warm, earthy aroma.

Pour in the wet ingredients. Tip in the tinned tomatoes and the stock. Give everything a good stir until the quinoa is evenly distributed and the liquid looks uniformly reddish-brown. The mixture should look quite soupy at this stage — that is correct, as the quinoa needs that liquid to cook properly.

Cover tightly with aluminium foil. Press the foil down around the edges so no steam escapes. Slide the dish into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. You will start to smell the cumin and paprika warming through your kitchen.

Remove the foil and stir. After 20 minutes, carefully peel back the foil — watch out for the burst of hot steam. Stir the quinoa bake gently. You should see that most of the liquid has been absorbed, and the quinoa grains are starting to look plump and translucent, with little white curls visible.

Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Spread the grated cheese across the surface in an even layer. Return the dish to the oven, uncovered this time, for another 10 minutes. The cheese will bubble and turn golden-brown at the edges. You will hear it sizzle softly as it bakes.

Rest for 5 minutes before serving. When the cheese is melted and golden in spots, remove the dish from the oven. Let it sit on the counter for five minutes — this allows the quinoa to absorb any remaining moisture and makes serving much cleaner. Scatter fresh coriander over the top if you like.