Rosie’s Light Vegetable Summer Biryani for Two

This delicious biryani is ideal for this kind of a summer, rainy. It's really light with a subtle coconut scent throughout. Being spiced, it is warming, making it perfect for a grizzly August. And it's cheap too: rice and cabbage are not going to cost you a thing.

I really got into these kinds of light India dishes when in Goa earlier in the year. Using fresh curry leaves adds a really authentic dry flavour, which takes me right back to the good times, bright colours and lazy, lazy days. In fact, cooking holiday food at home is a good way of transporting yourself back to relaxation and heat. I recommend it!

1 TBSP COCONUNT OIL
4 GARLIC CLOVES
1 LARGE RED FRESH CHILLI
2 TSP MUSTARD SEEDS
2 TSP (GOAN) GARAM MARSALA
2 GENEROUS PICKINGS OF CURRY LEAVES
1 RED PEPPER
½ WHITE CABBAGE
1 TBSP TOMATO PUREE
150ML HOT WATER
3 HANDFULS OF FRESH BABY LEAF SPINACH

2 COFFEE CUPS OF BASMATI RICE
3 CUPS OF WATER
1 TBSP COCONUT OIL
1 TSP GROUND CUMIN
1 CINNAMON STICK
LOTS OF MALDON SEA SALT

2 GENEROUS HANDFULS OF ALMOND FLAKES

Melt the coconut oil in a medium saucepan on a medium pan. Finely chop the garlic and chillies and add to the pot. Let them jitter for a few minutes and then add the three spices to sweat for a further few minutes and release all of the aromatics. During this time, very finely dice the red pepper and add to the pot. Follow this with cabbage, which you should shred with a long sharp knife. Turn the heat down to a low flame, add the tomato puree and hot water and give it all a good mix around. Now replace the lid and simmer for twenty minutes.

Meanwhile pour the rice, water, coconut oil, cumin and cinnamon into a medium saucepan. Place on a high heat and bring this to the boil. Then replace the lid and turn the flame right down to a low heat for ten minutes. Finally turn the heat off and leave the rice to sit for twenty minutes to finish cooking.

Add the fresh spinach to the vegetable pan. Place this on a low heat and warm through so that the spinach wilts and becomes a dark glossy green. Turn the rice into this pan, and add a generous amount of salt. Fold this so that it's all mixed up. Lastly on a low flame in a dry frying pan, roast the almonds so that they become pinky gold which should only take a few minutes. Scatter these over the biryani and tuck in immediately.


Rosie Lovell runs Rosie's Deli Café, 14e Market Row, Brixton Market, London, SW9. Her first book, Spooning with Rosie will be published by Fourth Estate in May 2009, £14.99, ISBN978-0-00-728517-4

To view more of Rosie's recipe's and read about Rosie's Deli Café, visit her website here. To read Rosie's blog, click here.

Photo by Neil Thomson

Uploaded August 08