Vegetable biryani

menu for yor
serves 4
ingredients
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2cm/1in piece of fresh root
ginger, sliced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1⁄2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
100g/4oz red lentils, picked
and rinsed
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 aubergine, cut into cubes
1.8 litres/3pt vegetable stock
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
350ml/12oz basmati rice
100g/4oz French beans, halved
225g/8oz cauliflower florets
225g/8oz mushrooms, quartered
50g/2oz unsalted cashew nuts
• Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onions and fry gently for 2 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, ginger and spices, and fry gently, stirring frequently, for
1 minute.
• Add the lentils, tomatoes, aubergine and 600ml/1pt of the stock. Stir
well, then cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
• Add the pepper and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the lentils are
tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.
• Meanwhile, rinse the rice under cold running water. Drain and place in
another pan with the remaining stock. Bring to the boil, add the French
beans, cauliflower and mushrooms, then cover and cook gently for
15 minutes or until the rice and vegetables are tender. Remove from the
heat and set aside, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Add the lentil mixture and the cashews to the cooked rice, and mix
lightly together. Serve hot.