Vegetable vegan biriyani with carrot salad

Dinner with 26 ingredients.

Servings: 8

Total time: 70 minutes

Ingredients

• pinch saffron threads (optional)
• handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 100 gram red lentil
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 400 gram basmati rice
• 5 garlic cloves
• handful curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 carrots
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed toasted
• handful cashew nuts, roughly chopped
• 2 potatoes cut into chunks
• 100 gram French bean trimmed and cut in half
• poppadums and naan bread, to serve
• 1 small green chilli
• 2 handfuls frozen peas
• 50 gram roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped
• large piece ginger roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoon curry powder
• pinch of golden caster sugar
• small bunch coriander
• 1 cauliflower cut into florets
• thumb-sized piece ginger shredded into matchsticks
• 1 large onion roughly chopped
• squeeze lemon juice

Method

1. Soak the rice for 30 mins, then rinse in several changes of water until it runs clear. Cover with about 1 cm water, add the saffron (if using), cover the pan, bring to the boil, stir once, then turn off the heat. Leave for 10 mins, covered, then stir again and leave to stand, covered.
2. To make the paste, blitz all the ingredients together in a food processor. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Tip in the paste, then add the cauliflower and potatoes. Cook in the paste to colour, then add the lentils and green beans, and cover with about 400ml water. Add the curry leaves, season with salt, cover with a lid and simmer for 20 mins until the lentils and vegetables are tender Add the peas for the last 2 mins to defrost. Stir the rice through the curry until completely mixed and hot, then spoon onto a platter and scatter with coriander and cashews.
3. For the carrot salad, use a peeler to shave the carrots into ribbons. Sprinkle with the sugar and dress with the lemon juice, then toss with the other ingredients. Serve the biryani on a large platter for everyone to help themselves, with the carrot salad on the side, poppadoms for any vegans and naan bread for the vegetarians.