Some days you just feel like a nice, big comfort, delicious and easy meal. This vegetarian curry is full of fresh Indian flavours, quick to make and cooks in a single pot! Biryani is a set of rice-based foods made with spices, rice (usually basmati) and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) (بریان) which means "fried" or "roasted". We love these types of dinners, as they are perfect to use any leftovers, are great treat for a hungry family and/or to take to lunch throughout our work week. You may as well add some shredded chicken or lamb just to make it a more substantial meal but to be honest in the end it was so nice that we did not mind it was vegetarian.

On Friday and next Monday we will be posting some Halloween inspired recipes. Get back to us than!

Spiced Vegetable Biryani

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 small cauliflower
  • 2 large sweet potatoes 
  • 1 large onion 
  • 1l hot vegetable stock
  • 3 tbsp hot curry Madras paste
  • 1 red chilli 
  • large pinch of saffron strands
  • 2 tsp mustard seeds (black or white)
  • 500g basmati rice
  • 140g green beans 
  • 2 lemons
  • a handful of fresh coriander leaves
  • poppadoms to serve

Peel and cube potatoes, slice onion and break cauliflower into small florets. Seed and finely chop chilli, trim green beans. Preheat oven to 220°C. Pour the oil into a large roasting tin or ovenproof dish (we used capacity of 2,2l) 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 are in the tin, then pour over the stock mixture. Lower the oven to 190°C. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Juice lemons and stir in the juice and check the seasoning, then scatter over the coriander. Serve with a pile of poppadoms.