Spiced vegetable biryani

30-60 minutes 6 servings 600 kcal or less cashew cashews cauliflower curry curry paste mustard seed mustard seeds over an hour poppadom poppadoms red chilli red chillies saffron spicy sweet potato sweet potatoes vegetarian christmas dish

N/A

Source

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1small cauliflower, broken into small florets

2large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1large onion, sliced

1l hot vegetable stock

3 tbsp hot curry paste (Madras is good)

1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

large pinch of saffron strands

2 tsp mustard seed (black or white)

500g basmati rice

140g trimmed green bean, halved

2 lemons, juice only

a handful of fresh coriander leaves

50g packet salted roasted cashew nuts

poppadums and raita, to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7/fan 200C. Pour the oil into a large roasting tin or ovenproof dish and put in the oven for a couple of minutes to heat through. Add all the vegetables to the tin, except the beans, 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.

While the vegetables are roasting, stir together the stock, curry paste, chilli, saffron and mustard seeds.

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. Stir in the lemon juice and check the seasoning, then scatter over the coriander and cashew nuts. Serve with a pile of poppadums and a bowl of raita.