Vegetable & bean biryani
4 Servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | medium | Aubergine; cubed (large is better, though) |
| 1 | pinch | Salt and black pepper |
| 4 | tablespoons | Vegetable oil or vegetable ghee |
| ¾ | teaspoon | Poppy seeds |
| 1 | teaspoon | Mustard seeds |
| 1 | pinch | Cayenne |
| ¼ | teaspoon | Turmeric |
| ¾ | teaspoon | Garam masala |
| ¼ | teaspoon | Ground coriander |
| 1 | Red pepper; seeded & sliced | |
| 3 | ounces | Butter beans; cooked |
| 2 | Tomatoes; skinned, seeded & chopped | |
| 8 | ounces | Long grained brown rice; cooked with saffron |
| 1 | ounce | Toasted pine nuts |
| 1 | ounce | Raisins |
| 1 | Coriander sprig for garnish* | |
Directions
Place the aubergine cubes in a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave for 30 minutes. Rinse the cubes and dry. Heat the oil or ghee in a large pan. Add the poppy and mustard seeds and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the cayenne pepper, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, aubergine, red pepper, beans, tomatoes and salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Layer the rice and vegetable mixture in an ovenproof dish. Cover and cook in a preheated moderate oven (180~C, 350~F, Gas Mark 4) for 30 minutes. To serve: Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and raisins. Garnish with a coriander sprig and serve hot.
* I've never used sprig of coriander - can't stand it unless it's ground coriander, from a packet! It's called cilantro in the US, isn't it?
This recipe from Carole Bowen's book "The Vegetarian Cookbook", I think.