Name: Spicy vegetable pilau with cucumber raita
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 2 garlic cloves; 1 tbsp rapeseed oil; 1 large onion quartered and sliced; thumb-sized piece ginger chopped; 1 cinnamon stick; ½ tsp cumin seeds; seeds from 8 cardamom pods; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 red chilli halved, deseeded and sliced; 1 large red pepper deseeded and diced; 50g freekeh; 350ml vegetable stock (made with 2 tsp reduced-salt bouillon powder); 25g sultanas; ½ pack coriander chopped; 40g cashew nuts; 1 garlic clove; 150ml pot bio-yogurt; ¼ cucumber grated; 2 tbsp chopped mint

Spicy vegetable pilau with cucumber raita

For the pilau

2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion
quartered and sliced
thumb-sized piece ginger
chopped
1 cinnamon stick
½ tsp cumin seeds
seeds from 8 cardamom pods
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 red chilli
halved, deseeded and sliced
1 large red pepper
deseeded and diced
50g freekeh
350ml vegetable stock
(made with 2 tsp reduced-salt bouillon powder)
25g sultanas
½ pack coriander
chopped
40g cashew nuts

For the raita

1 garlic clove
150ml pot bio-yogurt
¼ cucumber
grated
2 tbsp chopped mint

Method

step 1
Chop the garlic for the pilau and set aside. Finely grate the garlic for the raita and put in a bowl. Heat the oil for the pilau in a large open pan, and fry the onion and ginger for 5 mins until softened. Stir in the whole and ground spices, and cook for a few secs to release their aromas. Add the chilli, red pepper and freekeh, stir briefly, then tip in the stock and sultanas. Simmer for 15 mins until the freekeh is tender but still nutty, adding the chopped garlic for the final 2 mins. The stock should have reduced and absorbed into the freekeh now.
step 2
Meanwhile, finish the raita by stirring the yogurt, cucumber and mint into the grated garlic.
step 3
When the pilau is cooked, stir in the coriander and cashews, and serve with the raita.