Golden Vegetable Biryani with Cashews & Mint Recipe

Ingredients

270g white basmati rice
4 garlic cloves
A thumb of ginger
1 lime
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
A pinch of cayenne pepper
250g French beans
2 red peppers
3 carrots
1 cinnamon stick
6 cardamom pods
3 onions
60g cashews
A handful of coriander
A handful of mint
450g Greek style yogurt

Prep: 30 mins| Cook: 45 mins

Buy the ingredients to start making your own

Add Ingredients To Basket

Method

1. Tip the basmati rice into a large bowl and cover with cold water. Use a fork or whisk to whisk the rice till the water goes cloudy (this is the starch). Drain the rice, tip it back into the bowl and cover with more cold water. Whisk again, drain, then tip back into the bowl. Cover with fresh cold water and set aside to soak.

2. Peel and grate or finely chop the garlic and ginger and place in a large mixing bowl. Finely grate in the lime zest and add the ground cumin, garam masala, ground turmeric and a pinch of cayenne pepper (add more or less, depending on how hot your like your food) with 2 tbsp oil. Season with a pinch of salt and stir into a marinade.

3. Trim the woody ends from the French beans, then chop into bite-sized pieces. Halve the red peppers, scoop out the seeds and white pith, then roughly chop. Trim and peel the carrots, then thickly slice. Add the veg to the marinade and stir to mix. Set aside to marinate.

4. Fill and boil the kettle. Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Drain the rice and tip it into a pan. Pour in 550ml hot water and add a pinch of salt. Set the pan on a high heat and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down, pop on a lid and simmer the rice for 5 mins. Take off the heat and set aside, lid off.

5. While the rice cooks, peel and finely chop 1 onion (keep the remaining onions for later). Drizzle 1 tbsp oil into a large, ovenproof casserole dish placed on a medium heat. Add the chopped onion, season with a pinch of salt and fry, stirring occasionally, for 5–6 mins till soft and golden brown.

6. Add the veg and their marinade to the pan with 2 tbsp cold water and fry, stirring regularly, for 4–5 mins till the veg are starting to soften. Add the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods to the pan. Tip in the par-boiled rice and stir well to mix. Take the pan off the heat and cover with a layer of foil. Pop a lid on, slide into the oven and bake for 30 mins, till the rice is tender and cooked through.

7. While the biriyani cooks, peel and finely slice the remaining onions. Pour 4–5 tbsp oil into a frying pan placed on a medium high heat – the oil should be about ½cm deep. When it’s hot, add the sliced onions and fry, stirring occasionally, for 10–15 mins till golden and crisp. Lift out of the pan onto a plate lined with kitchen paper.

8. Roughly chop the cashews. Pick the coriander and mint leaves off the stalks and roughly chop any large leaves.

9. Divide the biriyani between warm plates or bowls and top with the fried onions, cashews and chopped herbs. Serve with spoonfuls of the Greek-style yogurt.

10. Get Ahead
You can chop and marinate the veg the night before you want to cook the biriyani. Transfer them to a tub or dish and keep in the fridge. The marinade contains turmeric, so store the veg and their marinade in a glass, pyrex or china dish or bowl to avoid staining the dish.

11. The Right Pan For The Job
If you don't have a casserole dish, fry the onion and veg in large pan, then transfer to an ovenproof dish. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and rice. Cover with a double layer of foil and bake.