Vegetable Pilau

This vegetable pilau is a dish on its own, you don’t need to have it with curry it’s so tasty. However, if you do I can recommend the roasted chickpea and cauliflower curry we picture it with below, there really is no need for meat. 

This is a really quick dish to cook with just a little preparation. Cook it for lunch on its own while you’re working from home, spoil yourself. 

Method

To prepare the basmati rice

1. Pop one cup basmati rice into a small saucepan with 2 cups of cold water.
2. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer with a lid on the pan the whole time. After about 10 minutes the water will have been absorbed. Do not stir your rice at any point.
3. Once the water has been absorbed, turn off the heat and leave the pan for 5 minutes with the lid on.
4. We now need to cool the rice. I place the saucepan straight into the fridge and leave it overnight.

You want to cool your rice as fast as possible, rice is one of the leading sources of food poisoning as people leave it at room temp. Cooling it is important to stop it from going claggy when you fry it.

To cook the vegetable pilau

1. Setup your Egg for a direct cook at 200°C with your Eggspander basket.
2. Preheat your wok.
3. Add in your oil and very shortly after, your onion. Fry for a couple of minutes to soften.
4. Add the spring onions and fry for a further minute. Remember to keep the lid of your Egg shut when your not stirring your veg, you want to be in control of the temperature.
5. Add the green pepper and fry for a further minute or two.
6. Now add the rest of your ingredients and herbs with the exception of the rice. You want to coat everything in the herbs.
7. Finally, add the rice and cook until it has cooked through. You can stir here to stop the rice from sticking and break it up if it is a little clumpy.
8. Use your Thermapen to make sure your rice is above 63°C before you serve it, it must be thoroughly cooked through.

This rice is lovely on its own or served with a curry.