One pot dishes are just the best things ever, especially if like me you love a bit of batch cooking. So often it gets to Sunday night and I realise that there’s nothing in the fridge, I don’t fancy a takeaway but at the same time I can’t really be bothered to cook. Luckily for me (and Mr H) I’ve got into a bit of a habit of cooking massive amounts of food and freezing the leftovers for such occasions, and I’ll tell you it’s a real lifesaver sometimes (not to mention a money-saver too)!

Biryani is a traditional Indian dish, made with a variety of spices, veggies, sometimes meat and rice. It’s really simple to make and it’s not super spicy, so it’s a great one for all the family. At first glance it might look like there’s a lot of ingredients needed for this dish, but if you’re like me you might have some of the spices hanging around in your spice cupboard already (and if you don’t I’d definitely recommend stocking up as they’re so useful to have for future culinary adventures). This is also a great dish if you’re a student or trying to feed lots of people on a budget, as not only is it nutritious and nourishing but because of the rice it’s super filling and energy boosting. It’s one of my freezer staples now  and often when I make it I chuck in any other veggies that I need to use up too, the more the merrier!

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup (about 100g) green beans, chopped into 1 inch lengths
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups brown rice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• Optional: fresh coriander, raisins and cashew nuts to serve

Preheat the oven to 200C, then pop the cauliflower and sweet potatoes in a roasting tin, drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil (and add any salt to taste) and place in the oven for about 20 minutes, until they start to soften and brown.

While the veggies are roasting, wash the rice in cold water, then set aside. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion with the garlic, bay leaf and other spices on a low heat for about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice, then pour over the stock, cover the pan with a lid and bring to the boil. Once it’s boiled, bring down to a medium heat and cook for 15 minutes (or until the rice is al dente), then add in the green beans, peas, cauliflower and sweet potato. Continue cooking on a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has been soaked up. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes or so before adding in any fresh coriander, raisins and cashews and serving up!

Love, Mrs H xx