Biryani is one of my favourite Indian dishes. The reason for it being so, is basically you can throw anything into it. Most Indians throw in their leftovers including Tandoori Chicken, left over curry or dahl dishes with the rice. Although this one isn’t leftover food, it really gives that feel and I have to say I absolutely loved it. Definitely give this a try if you love curries – you won’t regret it.

Unfortunately it does use yoghurt, but I’m guessing the soy variety would allow you to make this vegan if you also ommitted the eggs to include your favourite vegies. I will try a vegan version on this shortly and post the results for all vegan readers.

Other rice recipes you may be interested in:

• Saffron-Spiced Lentil Rice
• Creamy Coconut and Chickpea Rice
• Ghee Rice
• Bhaji Burgers
• Vegetarian Chickpea Biryani

Serves:

• 4+

Ingredients:

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup tomato passata
• 1 tsp pickled chilli – hot
• pinch saffron strands
• 1 tbs natural yoghurt
• 1/2 tsp ginger paste
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 2 cloves
• 1 cardamon, crushed
• 1 tsp biryani spice (can be bought from your local supermarket in the herb aisle)
• 1 tbs butter or oil
• pinch salt
• pinch white pepper
• 1 cinnamon stick
• dash of nutmeg
• water

Instructions:

1. Boil eggs and let them sit aside.
2. In a little oil or butter, fry the onions with the spices.
3. Pour the 1.5 cups of water in and add your rice, cooking until the water is absorbed.
4. When there is no more water, add in the tomatoes, chilli and mixing through thoroughly. Cook for another 5-10 minutes.
5. Peel and dice the eggs up and mix into your rice.
6. Mix in the yoghurt to the rice and cook for another 10 minutes with a lid on top.
7. Switch the heat off and do not touch for another 5-10 minutes before serving.

Last week I found out that due to an injury on my shoulder playing hockey in November, I’m required to have surgery.  The surgery will mean that I’m out of action for work and sport.  I could be out of sport for 6-9 months, which is quite scary! My arm is in a sling for 4-6 weeks minimum!

I’m going to endeavour bulking up on some recipes to keep you entertained whilst I’m down and out.  But I’m guessing there will be some time where this website will be a little quiet. Hopefully not for too long though!

Moving on, today’s treat is something that was inspired by Food Safari.  Now, one of the dishes was created in the French casserole dish and used potato slices on the bottom to cook rice from scratch in.  Now the spices included some sweetness with berries and meat, but I’ve totally changed the recipe just keeping the initial idea of the potato base.

By using the potato base, you come out with two types of dishes – a crunchy potato one with rice and your casseroled-rice dish.

This one here is full of saffron, lentils and a touch of chilli.  I’m sure you can come up with your own varieties by using the same base.  Give it a go and come back with your own versions!

Serves:

• servings for 4-8

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes, peeled and sliced into scallops
• 1/4 onion, thinly sliced to rings
• 3-4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 400 grams lentils from a can, drained
• 1 tbs paprika
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 2 pinches saffron grinded down and soaked with a little water
• 1 tab of vegetable “chicken style” stock
• 1 tsp chilli paste
• drizzle olive oil for lining pot
• 3 cups water
• 2 cups jasmine rice

Instructions:

1. Drizzle your pan with a little olive oil.
2. Layer the potatoes on the bottom of the tray, covering the entire bottom.
3. Rinse the rice with water until the water is clear.  This removes all the starch from the rice.
4. Mix through the garlic, onions and lentils.
5. In a jug, place the saffron and three cups of water.  Mix throughly before stirring in the other spices (including chilli paste) and stock.
6. Pour in the liquid and place the lid on the dish.
7. Place on high for 10 minutes, by this time the water should be boiling.
8. Reduce to a low heat and cook for another 40 minutes.
9. Place the rice on a dish and pull out the crunchy pieces at the bottom and serve together straight away!

This recipe here was made up after not knowing what I was going to have for tea.

I’m a big fan of the thai coconut rice and decided that I would combine this style of rice with an all-in-one curry.  It’s a delicious vegan dish with chickpeas, mushrooms and lots of spice that’s easy to make.  It uses only one pot and pretty much can be left on it’s own to cook, whilst you go off to do other more important things!

Makes:

• 3-4 serves

Ingredients:

• 3-4 serves rice
• tab of “chicken-style” vegetable stock
• pinch cumin
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamons
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• pinch garam masala
• 2 tbs coriander paste
• 1 tbs chilli paste
• 420 grams chickpea
• 1 can coconut cream
• handful cashews
• handful mushrooms
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 glass water

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in the one pot and stir.
2. Simmer for 25 minutes with a lid on.
3. Turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes before serving.

This rice is very much an indulgent one, you really feel like you’re spoiling yourself with the use of the ghee and cashews.  If you would like a little sweetness, you could add some sultanas you’ve soaked in warm water.   Use this one as a starting point and add some ingredients you love!  I’m quite keen to add some freshly steam vegies, right near the end for some more crunch!

It is based on the Charmaine Solomon’s The Complete Asian Cookbook which I religiously use for ideas or guidance on Sri Lankan and Indian dishes, when I’m unsure.  I’d recommend anyone keen on curries, to seriously consider this book as your bible!  It certainly is mine!

For those unsure what ghee is – yes, it’s vegetarian.  Ghee is actually clarified butter.  It has a higher tolerance level when cooking, so it doesn’t burn as easy as everyday butter.

For the vegans, interested in making something similar, although you won’t get the buttery taste – simple peanut oil or your choice of alternative will do for this one.

Makes:

• 4

Ingredients:

• handfull raw cashews
• 2 cups of basmati and wild rice mixed (or rice of your choice)
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 2 tbs garlic mince
• 4 cardamon pods
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vegetable “beef style” stock tab
• 3.5 cups water
• 2 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Melt the ghee in the saucepan and fry the onion until it’s golden brown.
2. Mix in the cashews and allow to go to golden brown also.
3. Add the spices and rice, cooking for five minutes.
4. Pour in the stock, water, salt bringing to the boil.
5. Place the heat to a simmer, placing the lid on the rice.
6. Leave it untouched for 15-20 minutes without lifting the lid.
7. Take the lid off and leave for 5 minutes before using a fork to fluff it up.
8. Remove the cinnamon and what you can of the cloves and cardamons before serving.

All cooks will tell you they simply can’t cook certain dishes!  I’m no exception at this, where my dish is risottos.  Yes, I know these are quite easy to make and I’m not really sure what it is about risotto that makes it sooo difficult to achieve a really great end result.

Saying this, I have found a cheats way of getting a perfect risotto – using the oven!  Now, I call it cheating, because only one time, do you actually stir the risotto – at the start!  So, for all those people like me who cannot be bothered being glued to the pot, this one’s for you!

You’ll be surprised how well the risotto will taste near the more labour intensive one and be regularly making this one.  Who knows, those doing the labour-intensive versions might just swap to the cheat’s version!

Makes:

• 1-2

Ingredients:

• 100 grams uncooked risotto
• 1 cube of vegetarian “chicken style” stock
• 10 grams died porcini mushrooms
• 1 tbs margarine
• 250 mls boiling water
• 2 tsp truffle oil
• 1 tsp grated parmesan (optional)
• cracked pepper for serving

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C or 390 F.
2. Break up the dried porcini mushrooms and drop into a casserole dish that has a lid.
3. Pour risotto, stock, water, and margarine in and stir thoroughly to mix the ingredients through.
4. Place the lid on the casserole and place in to the oven.
5. Leave for 30 minutes and allow to sit for 5 minutes before stirring.
6. Serve topping with parmesan (for non-vegans), truffle oil and cracked pepper.

I have to let you in on a little secret for this one – it’s inspired from a cooking showing on SBS in Australia called Food Safari. What is quite unique about this show, is that each episode the host focuses on a different culture, showing real people from these cultures (who have emigrated here) throughout Australia cooking their popular or traditional dishes.

When I saw this dish on the Turkish episode, I instantly wanted to make it. It looked easy to make and delicious and, of course, could be turned vegan quite easily.

This is a little steer away from the original recipe and you can find the original here for those interested.

If you are interested in finding more about the series or interested in buying the DVDS (Season 1 and 2), in Australia, you can find it at JB Hifi or your ABC shops and overseas, madman.com.au have it in their catalogue here.

Looking for something to have it with? Try the chickpea cutlets – they work a treat!

Serves:

• 4-5 people

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp red pepper paste (hot chilli) – this can be found at mediterrannean stores
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• salt
• pepper
• 2 cups burghul
• 4 cups water
• 3 tsp garlic mince
• 1 tab “chicken style” vegetable stock
• drizzle good quality extra virgin olive oil for serving

Instructions:

1. Warm the oil in a pan and pour your onions, garlic, red pepper paste, tomatoes in. Season and cook until soft.
2. Empty the burghul in and stir through to infuse the flavour.
3. Pour the water in and add the stock, stirring to mix through.
4. Bring to the boil before placing on simmer.
5. Simmer until the water has evaporated.
6. Using a fork, fluff the burghul before serving with a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.

^{Image: Rice pudding just come out of the oven}

When I was younger, my mum made traditional milk rice and I wasn’t a big fan of it.  This also mean that I’d never really had rice pudding either because the thought of the milk rice came to mind.

It was only a few years ago when Le Rice puddings came to town and I thought I’d try them out.  I really enjoyed them but couldn’t get into the flavourings – I much preferred the vanilla plain ones.

This last week, I thought I’d try out the new sticky date flavour realising that these were quite low in calories, and, although I did enjoy it, I still love the traditional vanilla version.

So after having the cold vanilla version, I had a thought to make my own home-made warmed up version for winter.  Never making one before, I wasn’t sure how to go about it, but primarily there’s a few essential ingredients – milk, cream, rice (cooked) and vanilla.  I have to admit, this was quite the treat, and, it’s not too sweet but is nice and creamy.  For those with a sweet tooth, add some more brown sugar or add some natural fruit to the mix – sultanas, pureed apple or strawberries for example.

Vegans, you could definitely use rice milk with this to keep with the rice flavour and mix in some vegan cream of sorts.  I’m sure this will be just as great!

^{Image: Puddin’ with cream}

Serves:

• 3 rammekins full with a little leftover for taste testing (well that’s my excuse)

Ingredients:

• pinch salt
• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbs pure vanilla essence
• 2 tbs dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup light cream
• extra cream for drizzling

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Boil the rice in salty water until cooked.
3. Once cooked, drain the water and pour the milk and boil.
4. Stir in the vanilla, sugar and nutmeg in.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Mix in the cream and warm through.
6. Take off the heat and spoon into three rammekins.
7. Sprinkle little brown sugar on top and bake in the oven for ten minutes.
8. Take the puddings out of the oven and allow to cool for five minutes before serving with cream of your choice.

I have the sachets of quick microwave rice dishes to thank for this simple and easy risotto meal today.  The risotto is half cooked already and on the back of the packaging has a recipe to make a simple risotto in ten minutes in the pot.  Whilst I didn’t want the recipe on the back, I’ve followed the same procedure to come up with the Shitake and Vegie Bacon risotto.

The ingredients within the risotto is cooked seperately and then added just near the end, therefore it would be quite easy to add your own ingredients and have your risotto on the plate!

Serves:

• Two

Ingredients:

• 1 sachet quick risotto packet
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 rashers vegetarian bacon, sliced thin
• handful pinenuts
• 200 grams shitake mushrooms, sliced thin
• 2 tsp garlic mince
• olive oil
• 1/2 tab porcini stock
• 1 cup water
• grana padano grated
• freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions:

1. Saute the mushrooms in a pan with some olive oil.
2. Add the bacon and brown with the garlic.
3. Brown off the pinenuts in the mixture and sit aside.
4. Drizzle some olive oil in a big pot and drop the risotto in.
5. Stir the risotto with the oil, completely covering the risotto in oil.
6. Dissolve the stock in warm water and pour into the risotto mixture.
7. Stir occasionally whilst simmering the risotto.
8. Once the liquid has been reduced to a thick sauce, mix in the mushroom mixture.
9. Place a little butter near the end, grated cheese and seasoning to taste before serving.

The silly season has arrived and it also means less time cooking and more time eating out, meeting and catching up with old friends, celebrating a new year arriving and the old year gone.

With this, the regular posts won’t be three new recipes each week, but I’ll try to do some weekly updates for the next couple of weeks – possibly more!

This current recipe is something I wanted to try last night. It’s a reduced fat version of ghee rice which is a little bit of a tradition in Sri Lankan and Indian dishes. This one here feels quite light and goes down well with a creamy or quite heavy main (pictured here is a slightly heavier version of paneer with tumeric). I’ll post the recipe for this one shortly!

Serves:

• Two to three large serves!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup jasmine rice uncooked
• 1.5 cups water
• 60 grams brown onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 beef-style stock (I use Massell)
• 2 cloves
• 3 cardamons, bashed to allow infusion
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch saffron

Instructions:

1. Place the water and rice in a small pot and place the cloves, bay leaf, cardamon, a little pinch of the saffron and the stock into the pot. Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and place a lid on top.
2. Heat the onions in the butter and when softened, mix through with rice.
3. Leave the rice until the water has absorped and take off the heat.
4. Stir the rice and then let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Wanting to make something that can be mixed in one bowl and cooked in the microwave? This recipe is for you!

It’s also delicious as leftovers! The longer kept, the better the flavours come through.

The recipe involves some refried beans with spices and cooked 90 second rice. It takes literally five minutes to make! Test it out yourself!

Serves:

One

Ingredients:

• 1 serving 90 seconds brown rice or cooked-ready rice
• 109 grams refried beans
• 1 tsp Massell Vegetarian Stock Powder
• 1 tsp garlic mince
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 60 grams onion chopped
• chilli powder (to your taste)
• 1/2 tsp cummin seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• salt
• white pepper

Instructions:

1. Cook the onions either in the microwave until soft or place on stovetop.
2. Heat the rice up and mix the onions and all other ingredients through.
3. Season with more salt and pepper to taste before serving, some tomato sauce mixed through would also be delicious!