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Tag: rice

Simple Foolproof Biryani

From Nadiya Hussein (BBC Good Food), who knows. To serve 4.

First make the chicken part:

  • 450g diced chicken (thigh or breast)
  • 100ml olive oil
  • 3 onions, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
  • 2 tbs tomato puree
  • 3 tbs garam masala (I used a low-cinnamon version)
  • 1 tbs paprika

Toss the whole lot together in an oven-proof, lidded casserole dish. Add and mix in

  • 2 tbs cornflour

Cook in the oven 170C (fan) for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile make the rice.

  • 250g basmati rice
  • 750ml water
  • healthy pinch saffron
  • Cinnamon stick (optional)
  • 0.5tsp salt

Boil for five minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. When the chicken is cooked, take the casserole out of the oven. Put the rice over the chicken and cover again. Turn the oven off and put the casserole dish back in the oven. Leave for 20 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and sprinkle with chopped spring onion.

Rice ‘n’ Peas

Not peas actually, but beans. Here’s a quick nearly authentic version to go with any Jamaican dish. Serves four as a side.

  • Half a large onion, chopped
  • Dash of vegetable oil

Saute the onion in the oil until transparent. Add

  • 1 green chilli, deseeded and sliced

Saute a few minutes more. Add

  • 225 gm long grain white rice

Stir until coated in oil. Add

  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 900 ml vegetable stock
  • Pinch of dried thyme or a teaspoon thyme leaves

Cover and simmer for ten minutes. Add

  • 1 tin of either red kidney beans, black beans or black-eyed beans
  • Optional: 50g coconut cream

Heat for another five minutes. If the water hasn’t been absorbed, remove the lid and heat until it dries out. Add

  • Chopped coriander leaves or parsley
  • Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper

Serve as a side dish for four people. You can make this a main course by stir frying 200g pork mince with the onion at the beginning, which would serve 2-3.

Cheat’s quick veg biryani

OK, true Indian cookery affionados will probably cringe at this, but if you want a tasty meal ready in under 20 minutes and fewer than 100 ingredients you are in the right place. I’m giving the quantities here for one person, you can scale up x2, x3 and x4 but as this is a microwave dish I’m not guaranteeing it will work for larger quantities because I haven’t tested it for more servings. You can adapt it for the Instant Pot then you can go larger.

Here goes, per person. You can chop and change the choice of vegetables. It can be one or two types, or a gathering of anything you have to hand.

  • 70gm basmati rice
  • 140ml vegetable stock (or 160ml if your veg are on the dry side)
  • 0.5tbs curry paste (any will do)
  • 120gm vegetables – sliced mushroom, chopped beans, peas, chopped pepper, chopped carrot, cauliflower florets, diced potato, diced sweet potato or any combo that takes your fancy. You can use chopped onion but best to saute these first.
  • 25g dried fruit such as sultanta, raisin, chopped dried apricot

Put the whole lot in a microwaveable container such as a pyrex bowl, and cover. Microwave on full power for 6 minutes. Stir around, the rice at the bottom may be dry. Microwave for another 6 minutes. If you are scaling up, you may need to cook for slightly longer but only a minute or two. Leave to stand for 5 minutes. Fluff up and add:

  • 25g shopped cashews or flaked almonds
  • 0.5tbs chopped fresh corianer if you have it

Serve with a blob of yoghurt on top and chutney on the side. If you have a few long-life naan breads in the cupboard, heat one in the toaster. If you have grabbed a pack of uncooked popadums you could microwave a couple of those instead. Grab a bottle of lager and away you go.

Arroz al Horno (baked rice)

A meany, beany paella really, and pretty good. Quick, easy and cheap. Ticks all the boxes there!

Quantities serve 4,  easily scaled up or down. You will need a large stove-top-to-oven pan, I used my largest le Creuset casserole dish.

  • 4 lean pork belly strips, halved
  • olive oil

Sear in your pan until they are brown and crispy each side. Remove.

  • 2 slices black pudding, cubed
  • 4 thick slices bacon, cut into lardons

Fry in the same oil until coloured. Remove.

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, sliced

Fry in the same oil (add more if you need to) until soft.

  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped

Fry a bit more.

  • 1 tomato, chopped

Fry until it breaks down. You could use tinned actually, if you have a use for the remainder of the tin.

  • Tin of butter beans or canellini beans
  • Sprig of fresh thyme or rosemary, chopped
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp  dried chilli flakes

Stir in. Add back your nicely browned meaty things.

  • 200g paella rice

Stir in.

  • 525 ml chicken stock

Add to the pan. Heat to bubbling then put in an oven at 200C/180C Fan. Leave 20 minutes and then have a peek. If the rice isn’t soft or there is too much liquid, leave another 5.

Serve with lemon to squeeze over if you like. Our home-made bacon is quite salty so it didn’t need more. You may need to adjust the seasoning.

 

 

 

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