Vegetable Beriani

Coasty's Note:

This dish is a complete meal in itself or you could serve with a curry meal. The recipe instructions are for a rice cooker but it can be easily adapted to cooking on a stove top. Use a heavy based pot with a tight fitting lid and a heat diffuser.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 5 cups basmati rice
• 7 ½ cups water
• ½ cup ghee
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 5 cardamom pods
• 3 star anise
• 1 lemon grass root
• 1 onion
• ½ cup gingerroot
• ¼ cup garlic
• 1 cup carrot , diced
• ½ cup French beans , sliced
• 1 cup tomato , chopped
• 1 cup peas
• ½ cup corn kernel
• 1 coriander sprig
• 3 screwpine leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 coriander sprig
• 3 tablespoons cashews
• 3 tablespoons raisins
• 1 tablespoon ghee

Directions:

1. Wash and drain rice, put aside.
2. In a food processor mince onion, peeled garlic and peeled ginger, put aside.
3. In a wok heat ghee and sauté cinnamon, 5 cardamom, star anise and lemon grass for 1 minute.
4. Add onion ginger, garlic mix to wok and continue sauté for about 5 minutes.
5. Add carrots, beans, and tomatoes and cook down for 10 minutes.
6. Add rice, corn, peas, coriander, turmeric and salt, mix well.
7. Transfer to the rice cooker. Add water and screw pine leaves and cook in WHITE RICE mode.
8. Heat ghee and fry cashews until golden, then fry raisins. Drain both.
9. When rice is cooked fluff rice with fork and then garnish with cashews, raisins and chopped coriander sprig.
10. Note: 200g diced chicken thigh or breast can be added with the rice to make Chicken Beriani.