Time for Weeknight Exotic, Indian food that’s vegetarian, easy and flavour-filled
Indian food is filled with the rich, savoury and healthy spices that we need to add to our everyday meals. However, during the week when we’re tired and rushed, it’s can be hard to find the inspiration. Even though our pantries are crammed full, our minds still come up a blank. Not to worry, here’s a fast and flavourful idea for Simple Vegetable Biryani that will help you whisk a few panty items into a delicious Indian weeknight meal.
Here in Toronto, an incredible variety of summer fruits and vegetables are pouring into the local farmer’s markets. What an awesome time of year to spice up weeknight meals with a few vegetarian recipes. I’ve made this Simple Vegetable Biryani with cauliflower, carrots and spinach, but feel free to mix it up. If you have fresh broccoli or green beans in the fridge, use those instead. Be creative, that’s the great thing about a stir-fry dish.
O.K. so this is not your usual Biryani, it’s my own twist on the traditional. As you may already know, my twist, usually means adding something sweet, something nutty, and having it ready to serve in 30 minutes or less. This Simple Vegetable Biryani is my answer to Indian food at home, fast, simple and totally delicious!
Simple Vegetable Biryani
EMAIL Recipe Share on FacebookIngredients
- 2 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1/2 cup shredded or finely chopped carrot
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas, optional
- 2 tsp chopped garlic
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup chopped apricots
- 1/2 bunch of fresh spinach
- 2 cups cooked Basmati rice
- 3 Tbsp pine nuts or pumpkin seeds
- 3 Tbsp fresh chopped coriander or mint leaves
Spice Mix
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp garam masala powder
- 1/8 tsp turmeric
Instructions
- Mix Spice Mix ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat canola oil in a fry pan over medium-high heat. add onion, cauliflower and carrots. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are soft.
- Add in garlic, Spice Mix and water, cook for one minute.
- Add apricots, spinach, cooked basmati rice and pine nuts, stir, cover and simmer until heated through; about 2-3 minutes.
- Fluff and serve topped with chopped herbs.
Made this last night. We enjoyed it with some pain yogurt to the side. I will make it again but will probably double the ingredients in the spice mix as my husband and I found it very mild. Thank you for a quick and easy recipe!
Thank you, Lori! I made this tonight and we enjoyed it enough that I will make it again. I love that you highlighted “sweet and nutty” and suggested that this could be a launchpad based on individual taste or pantry.
Veggies. This time, I added broccoli. Next time, I also will add green beans.
Spices. I thought the the heat in the spices was just right, but wanted more sweet. This time I had added a little ground clove. Next time, in addition, I’ll increase the cardamom.
Other. Next time, I’ll use roasted cashew or almond instead of pepita, and I’ll increase the amount for bigger crunch. I’ll also supplement the apricot with raisins.