Asparagus & Feta Fried Rice Recipe

Ingredients

150g white basmati rice
150ml boiling water
Sea salt
2 courgettes
200g asparagus
A handful of dill
1 lemon
60g feta
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black onion seeds
2 tsp olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
A pinch of dried chilli flakes

Prep: 10 mins Cook: 15 mins

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Method

1. Fill and boil your kettle. Rinse the rice under cold water, then tip it into a small pan. Pour in 150ml boiling water and add a pinch of salt. Pop on a lid and bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and very gently simmer for 8 mins till the rice has absorbed the water and become tender. Take the pan off the heat and let it sit, lid on, for 5 mins to steam and finish cooking the rice.

2. While the rice cooks, trim the courgettes, halve them lengthways and slice into 1cm-thick half-moons. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus (bend the spears and they will snap in the right place). Chop the asparagus tips into chunks around 2cm long.

3. Pick the dill fronds off the stalks. Finely chop the stalks and roughly chop the fronds, keeping them separate. Finely grate the zest from the lemon. Crumble half the pack of feta.

4. Warm a deep frying pan or wok on a high heat for 1 min. Add 1 tsp each cumin seeds and black onion seeds. Toast for 1-2 mins till aromatic and starting to pop. Tip them into a bowl and set aside.

5. Put the pan back on the heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil, the courgette and the asparagus. Season with salt and pepper. Fry, stirring often, for 4-5 mins till the veg are golden brown and just tender.

6. Add the toasted seeds to the pan along with 1 tsp dried oregano and a pinch of chilli flakes (these are very spicy, so use as much or as little as you prefer – you can add more later if you like). Add the dill stalks and most of the lemon zest (keep a pinch back for garnishing). Stir fry for 1 min.

7. Add the rice to the frying pan and stir fry for 2-3 mins to combine. Take the pan off the heat and add most of the feta. Squeeze in the juice from half the lemon. Add half the dill fronds. Toss to mix, taste and add more salt, pepper, chilli flakes or lemon juice if you think it needs it.

8. Scoop the fried rice into 2 warm bowls. Top with the remaining feta, lemon zest and dill fronds. Scatter over a few chilli flakes, if you like, to serve.