Vegetable Biryani

I haven't updated in a couple of weeks, I had food poisoning/some sort of gastric bug last weekend which made me not want to think about, let alone look at food, until about Wednesday. I was reduced to toast and plain water biscuits! So although I menu planned, I only did the evenings, and then it wasn't very exciting. I did however finally hand it my nasty legal essay that was hanging over my head, and the next one is not due until 27th April! Hurrah! That said the week before last I was cooking, just not posting, and I made a delicious Vegetable Biryani.



This is one of those recipes where you can bung in all those vegetables that get left at the bottom of the fridge and come up with a delicious, filling meal. Its also so easy to make because its done in the oven so you can just leave it to cook, whilst you get on with the housework or whatever needs doing!

Vegetable Biryani (adapted from Good Food Magazine January 2003)
(Serves 6)

vegetable oil
1 small cauliflower, broken into small florets
2 small aubergines, cut into cubes

2 carrots, cut into cubes

2 leeks, chopped
1 large onion, sliced
1l hot vegetable stock
3 tbsp hot curry paste
large pinch of saffron strands
500g basmati rice
140g trimmed green beans, halved
2 lemons, juice only
a handful of fresh coriander leaves

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 and saffron

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.