We all start the New Year with good intentions and I am going to help in that quest with my first recipe for 2014. I also decided that as a family we would try to eat a couple of ‘vegetarian’ meals a week. These tend to be lower in fat and higher in fibre and less calorific. Not only that, they are also cheaper because vegetables, beans, pulses and nuts do not cost as much as meat and have many more nutritional and health benefits. I hope you will enjoy this wholesome and tasty family meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small cauliflower, broken into small florets
- 1 medium size Butternut Squash
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1litre hot vegetable stock
- 3 tbsp Biryani powder mixed to a paste with water to make curry paste
- Large pinch of saffron strands
- 2 tsp mustard seeds (black or white)
- 500g Basmati rice soaked in boiling water
- 140g trimmed green beans, halved
- 2 lemons, juice only
- A handful of fresh coriander leaves
- 50g packet roasted cashew nuts
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7/fan 200C. Pour the oil into a large roasting tin or large casserole dish in the oven for a couple of minutes to heat through.
- Pour boiling water on Basmati until just covered and leave to soak.
- Prepare vegetables and add all the vegetables to the tin, except the beans and onions, stirring to coat them in the hot oil: Season with salt and pepper and return to the oven for 15 minutes until beginning to brown.
- Stir together the stock and saffron.
- Fry onions in small amount of oil until golden brown and add mustard seeds and fry until they start popping. Add the Curry paste and finally add the stock, stir well to mix.
- Mix the rice and green beans with the vegetables in the tin, then pour over the stock mixture. Lower the oven to 190C/gas 5/fan 190C. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
- Toast the cashew nuts in a frying pan until golden brown.
- Stir in the lemon juice and check the seasoning, then scatter over the coriander and cashew nuts. Enjoy.
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