Tomato Pilau with Coconut and Cashew Nuts

I have had Tarla Dalal Tomato Rice bookmarked for a little while, to make use of my homegrown tomatoes, but once again I was tempted by a tomato recipe that I came across in the Guardian's food section.  Tarla Dalal was a famous Indian chef, cookbook author, food writer and host of cookery shows.  her first cookbook 'The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking' was published in 1974.  Since then Tarla Dalal wrote over 100 cookbooks, of which I own some, but like I said I was tempted by another modern recipe. The recipe in question this time is for Summer Pilau with Tomato, Coconut and Cashew Nuts and once again comes from Meera Sodha, the food is well presented and captured wonderfully by the photographs .  The recipes are also accessible, which is good for any home cook.  Some of you will remember that recently I made her Lebanese Green Beans and Vermicelli Rice , so I knew this was going to be a good one to make and eat too.

I stuck to Meera Sodha's recipe for the Tomato Pilau, the only two things that were different.  I used dried curry leaves as I am not easily able to find fresh where I live; and secondly, this was due to my impatience - I did not brown the onions well, hence why my Pilau is not as golden, but let me tell you it was still delicious, moreso because of my homegrown tomatoes!  

D loved it and said I should make this for our American guests when they come in September.  Hopefully we will still have tomatoes coming from the greenhouse, in which case I shall be making it again.  

Meera suggests serving it with a fresh green salad.  I told my husband this and he rolled his eyes and suggested that I should have thrown in some of our homegrown green beans to the Pilau.  Instead he had his with a dollop of mango chutney, I think it was a good decision. If I have tempted you once again, then please check out the full recipe. 

Other Pilau Recipes you may like
Broad Beans Pilau with Mint
 Butter Bean and Kale Curried Turmeric  Rice
Cauliflower Pilau
Fenugreek and Radish Rice
Rainbow Carrot Rice Pilau
Savoury Jerusalem Artichoke Rice
Savoy Cabbage and Lentil Rice
Wild Garlic and peas Rice

Savoury Purple Rainbow Carrot Rice Pilau

I have more autumnal coloured food coming your way, but here is one that you may want to consider making for your grown up Halloween Party.  I made this Carrot Rice Pilau with some rainbow carrots.  I was quite surprised how the purple carrots bled into the white basmati rice and tainted it with a purple hue.  It actually looked quite pretty and quite nice to eat.  

As I had some left over, I decided to take some into work for lunch as a savoury rice salad dish.  You could reheat it in the microwave or eat it at room temperature. So I have decided to share it with Soup, Salad and Sammies Sundays hosted by Deb over at Kahakai Kitchen. 

By the way this is not the traditional way of making pilau rice that comes from the Indian Sub Continent, but it was still very flavourful.  I adapted a recipe that was also adapted by the cookbook authors.  

Other Rainbow Coloured Vegan Recipes 

Savoury Chestnut, Rainbow Carrot and Lentil Cake

Rainbow Carrots, Puy Lentil and Barley Salad

Rainbow Chard Bundles

Harissa Rainbow Carrots with Maftoul

Mosaic Carrot Pie

Rainbow Bell Pepper Spaghetti

Rainbow Vegetables with Soba Noodles

Simple Roasted Beetroot and Carrot Salad

Butter Beans and Kale Curried Turmeric Rice

This yellow turmeric infused rice with butter beans is inspired by a family Pilau  - Savoury Rice recipe. I make a variation of this rice dish with whatever is in season or what I have to hand every other month.  

As we are going away for a long weekend to my mother in laws, we have been raiding the fridge and vegetable basket, so there was not much in the way of fresh ingredients, other than some curly kale which I wish was from the garden.  I always have some dried beans, lentils and pulses so decided to make this dish last night when I put some butter beans to soak overnight.

Savoury Jerusalem Artichoke Rice

The weather has been so changeable recently, one day the sun is shining and I am out in the gardening - sowing seeds, transplanting plants into the ground, building climbing frames for my legumes, the next its pouring with rain and I'm reaching out for my hot water bottle (yes, sometimes I can be a real wimp!).    And guess what, today its been drizzling.  

The last couple of times when its been wet and windy, I've come home and made Risotto, first Smoked Paprika with white PSB and and then Fennel and Black Olive Risotto.  It could have easily been another Risotto with the last Jerusalem Artichokes of the season, but I've made Jerusalem Artichoke and Parsley Risotto in the past and wanted to try something different, but it still had to be rice.  So I opted for a Pilau/Pilav style rice dish.

I know its not the most well presented dish, just dished up on the plate - but this is how real homely food is served and today, I am not in the mood for faffing about, as well as the fact that the natural lighting is just not conducive for food photography. 

This savoury rice dish is my take on a Pilau rice dish that my mother would make, I have just changed the ingredients in it.  I must say, my mother would just *throw in all the whole spices into the pot to infuse the rice.  It was quite normal for us to be pushing the cassia bark, cinnamon sticks to the side of the plate; or picking out the cloves and peppercorns, so the appearance of these inedible whole spices don’t bother me.  However, I understand not everyone is like me and may find them unsightly, even off putting.  So with the exception of the coriander and cumin seeds, you may wish to tie the spices in a muslin cloth whilst cooking and then remove it when serving up. 

Radishing Rice

One of my absolute favourite ways to eat this fuchsia root vegetable is raw, sliced in half and then dipped in equal mix of salt and red chilli powder. The radish delivers a crisp and crunchy burst of peppery mist, enhanced further by the salty-chilli flavours.

Another one of my favourite radish recipe is a South Asian curry known as Mooli Methi Salan (Radish Fenugreek Curry). Mooli Methi curry is traditionally made with fresh with fresh fenugreek.  Fenugreek is an acquired taste, I really like it and am actually growing some in the garden.  Its really hard to describe the flavour of fenugreek, its pungent and has bitter undertones.  Anyway, I would have made this spicy curry dish, but I wanted something a little lighter, yet comforting and ended up making a savoury rice.  In place of the fresh fenugreek I’ve used dried fenugreek also known as kasoori; kesuri methi.  You can find dried fenugreek, (as well as cassia bark and black cardamon) at most South Asian grocers, and even in some of the larger supermarkets, but if you can't find any you can substitute it with another green leaf, though the flavour won't be the same.

This savoury Radish and Fenugreek rice dish turned out to be quite flavourful.  I had under estimated the heat of the fresh green chilli finding the seeds a little intense, so you may want to use only one, rather than two as well as remove the fiery seeds.

When my mother cooked savoury Pilau rice dish, she would just *throw in all the whole spices into the pot to infuse the rice.  It was quite normal for us to be pushing the cassia bark to the side of the plate; or picking out the cloves and peppercorns, so the appearance of these inedible whole spices don’t bother me.  However, I understand not everyone is like me and may find them unsightly, even off putting.  So with the exception of the coriander and cumin seeds, you may wish to tie the spices in a muslin cloth whilst cooking.

Radish and Fenugreek Rice

Serves 2 - 3
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or butter)
I medium onion, finely sliced
Optional: Cassia bark*
Optional: Black Cardamon*
1 ½ teaspoon mixture of cloves, cumin, coriander and black peppercorns*
1 -2 green chillies, sliced
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
185g or1 cup of Basmati rice, washed and drained
450ml or 2 cups water
Optional: 2 – 3 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves
250g radishes, whole or chopped in half if you wish

Method
Heat oil in a pan with a tight fitting lid. Add the onion and all the spices and cook until the the onion is meltingly soft. Stir in the rice and the fenugreek leaves, dry fry for a couple of minutes, before pouring in the water. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and add in the radishes, do not stir in as they will overcook.

Put the lid on and cook on low heat for 25 – 30 minutes. Stir rice and radishes well, before serving. 

If you wish, serve with natural yogurt or soured cream.

Braised Savoy cabbage Pilau with puy lentils

I’ve made and blogged about this dish before. I remember really enjoying the nuttiness and bite of the lentils and the texture of the braised cabbage. So I decided to make it again with one of the Savoy cabbages we picked up on Sunday.

This time though I found the flavour of the Savoy cabbage a little bitter. Still it was rather nice, especially the lentils releasing that earthy nutty flavour.
This dish is good at room temperature. I deliberately decided to cook enough for 4 people. As the leftovers were going to be taken into work for lunch the following day.

Optional: It’s a lovely and moist dish, but you could serve with Soured cream, Greek or natural yogurt if you so wish.
Braised savoy cabbage Pilau with lentils
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pint/550ml vegetable stock made with 1 teaspoon of vegetable stock powder
200g of uncooked Basmati rice, washed
100g puy lentils or brown or green lentils, washed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion finely slices
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
A small Savoy cabbage or ½ large one thinly slices, outer leaves discarded and core cut out
100ml of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
For the rice
In a saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Add rice, the lentils and salt. Bring to a boil. The turn the heat low and cover the pan and cook for 25 – 30 minutes. Do not lift lid or stir during this time, as this will turn it to risotto consistency, rather than soft fluffy rice.
In the last 5 minutes, lift lid, give it a stir and check if the rice and lentils are tender and the stock has been absorbed. Give it a few more minutes if it still has some stock. When the stock has been absorbed, turn off heat.
For the braised cabbage
While the pilau cooks, start the cabbage. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onions, stirring frequently until they have softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, the cabbage, water and season to taste. Cover the pan and let the cabbage cook for 10 minutes, checking from time to time, to make sure the pan is not scorching. Remove the lid, and let the cabbage cook for a further 15 minutes or so over medium heat, stirring every five minutes until the water has disappeared and cabbage looks glossy. Turn off heat. Stir the braised cabbage into the rice, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. Adapted from Didi Eammons Vegetarian Planet.

Braised baby carrots with cheats broad bean pilau

Pilau, puloa or pilaf is a dish in which a grain, such as rice or cracked wheat is cooked. It begins with the process of caramelizing sliced onions in butter, until it is browned and golden, the rice is added and is then cooked in a highly seasoned broth made with a large blend of spices. Pilau's may also contain a variety of meat and vegetables.
My pilau is a cheats version, you will forgive me I'm sure, when I tell you its much healthier too as I've replaced the butter with Olive oil. The baby carrots, broad beans and the sad excuse of a garlic bulb are all from my garden plot. Its not highly flavoured as a traditional pilau, but it served us well for a homely meal.

Braised baby carrots with Broad Bean pilau

Serves 2

Ingredients

Basmati rice, enough for two people

Enough baby carrots for two people

Enough broad beans for two people

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, finely sliced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

100ml vegetables stock

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

Tabasco sauce

Salt and pepper

Method

Cook the rice, set aside.

Place carrots in a wide saucepan together with 2 tablespoons olive oil, ground cumin, vegetable stock, garlic, dash or two of Tabasco sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, until the carrots are tender and coated in the sauce.

While the carrots cook, in another pan, blanch the broad beans in boiling water for 7 minutes and drain. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and fry until brown and crisp in places. Add the cumin seeds and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the broad beans. Stir well over low heat for a minutes. Then stir the broad beans and the onions with all the oil into the rice and serve with the carrots and its sauce.

Adapted from Nadine Abensur's Cranks Fast Food. To make this more of a substantial meal, it may be worth serving it with some lentils or pulses. I think I may do that next time.

Savoury rice with 'Wild garlic' and peas

One of the good things I've learned about 'wild garlic', other than its versatility and taste, is that it keeps very well in the fridge. If you don't want your fridge smelling like a garlic keeper, just wrap the wild garlic gently in some newspaper. Its working well for me and its been there since Saturday.

I can't believe I still have so much of it. It really is one of those ingredients where a little goes a long way, just like this recipe.
This dish didn't work as well, not because it was a poor combination. No, that part was fine. What let it down, was me. I messed up slightly with the water ratio to the rice, adding a little too much. So instead of the rice separating like a good pilau/pilav, it was a little sticky like risotto. Still it was edible. The other thing I should mention, this dish did not taste overly garlicky, as the flavour of the wild garlic was somewhat lost in the cooking process. Therefore, if you do wish to make this dish, I would recommend stirring in some fresh minced wild garlic just before serving.
Savoury rice with wild garlic and peas

Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
1 large green chilli, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon of cloves (optional)

1/2 whole black pepper (optional)
300g Basmati rice, rinsed clear of starch
200g frozen peas

Handful of roughly chopped wild garlic

Salt to taste
600ml water or Vegetable stock
Method

In a pan that has a fitted lid heat the oil, then add the onions andchilli and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the spices then cook for a further 5 minutes until the spices have become aromatic and are starting to look dark in the pan,
Add the rice and cook for a minute, stirring well to coat the rice in the spiced oil.

Add the peas and stir for a couple of minutes, then add the wild garlic and salt to the pan. Pour in the liquid and stir well and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover with lid and cook for 25 minutes. Do not take the lid off or stir after this, as you want fluffy rice, not sticky rice. After 25 minutes check if the rice is cooked and the water absorbed. Give it another 5 minutes if necessary. Stir in additional minced wild garlic if you wish.

No 'snowball' cauliflowers

The snowball cauliflowers that I had planted at the allotment have all been a big disappointment, so I have had to resort to shop bought ones. Over the weekend, D had picked up a cauliflower grown in the U.K with the idea that I would make his favourite South Asian dish: aloo gobi muttar (potato, cauliflower and peas) salan, but too be honest I just didn’t fancy eating rich, buttery spicy food today. Instead I decided to make an experimental dish with it and some other ingredients we had in the kitchen, namely sun-dried tomatoes in oil. I have tried this combination before in a cauliflower and sun-dried tomato tart, but not as a rice dish. This dish resulted in what some people would describe as 'fusion food'.

When served, the cauliflower pilau looked very white, so I scattered over some freshly chopped basil. D dubbed it 'Italian pilau'. Mmm I don’t know what my Italian readers will think of that?! And no, I don’t always pretty my plates of food before serving, but I felt I had to give it that 'food magazine touch' in order to make the dish more appealing to the eye, so I have two shots for one. The above a pretty version of the plated food, almost worthy of being served at a restaurant (I think) and the one below, more of a humble homely serving, which is the way most of us really eat. The dish was surprisingly light with the mild flavour of cauliflower and tomatoes coming through.

Italian Cauliflower pilau

Serves 4

Ingredients
200g basmati rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp freshly minced basil, plus extra for garnishing
500ml water or vegetable stock
1 small cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
1 – 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato in oil
Salt and pepper
Method

Put the rice in a sieve and rinse it until the water runs clean. Set aside to drain. Heat the oil in a saucepan that has a tight fitting lid. Cook the onion over a medium heat, stirring frequently until soft and golden. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat. Add the cauliflower and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add minced basil, seasoning and stock. Cover with the lid and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 30 - 45 minutes, or until the rice and cauliflower are tender and all the stock has been absorbed. Fold in the basil through the rice and serve immediately.

Broad bean pilau with mint

This dish is inspired by a Turkish recipe called baklali ve tereotu pilavi (broad bean pilau with dill), except I don’t have any dill. Over the past few weeks, I have been boasting at how wonderful my herb plots are, but the dill I was growing has just withered away by the heat of the sun, so I have had to substitute the dill with mint.

It was still a tasty dish, the flavours of both the mint and the broad beans came through.

Broad bean pilau with mint
Serves 2 – 3
Ingredients
175g long grain rice, washed thoroughly under cold water and drained
250g shelled broad beans
6 tablespoons of butter (for vegan alternative, the butter can be substituted with olive oil)
2 tablespoons of fresh mint, minced finely
250ml water or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Method
In a large pot, add butter and melt, then add mint and rice and swirl to coat in buttery juices. Cook for a couple of minutes. Then pour in the water or stock, seasoned with a little salt if necessary. Stir and then cover the pan and cook over low heat for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid absorbed. Turn of the heat.

Remove the lid, and cover the pan with a clean tea towel, replace the lid and leave it to ‘rest’ for 10 minutes.

Fluff up the pilau with a fork, and serve with natural yogurt or soured cream.

Nutty lentils and braised cabbage pilau

Over the working week, we've consumed the kale, sprouts and parsnips. I am keeping the leeks back for Sundays Burns Supper cock o leekie soup. I have to think a bit more what I want to do with the jerusalem artichokes. But tonight is the turn of the cabbage and here it is - Nutty lentils and braised cabbage pilau.

This dish does not take long, about 45 minutes including preparation. So I think its a good one to keep in mind for after work suppers. Its simple, heart warming food especially on a day like today with the rain being as cold as ice. I think snow is forecast for the weekend. Another short visit to the allotment...

I really like the nuttiness of the lentils and the texture of the cabbage. To make more of a meal of this dish, I sometimes like to serve alongside the the Pilau natural yogurt with grated carrots stirred through it. You could call it carrot tzaki if you wish. Please try this dish at least once. It’s another way to eat and enjoy winter cabbage.

Nutty lentils and braised cabbage Pilau
Serves 4
Start of with the rice
Ingredients
1 pint/550ml vegetable stock made with 1 teaspoon of vegetable stock powder
200g of uncooked rice, washed
100g dried brown or green lentils, washed
½ teaspoon salt to taste
1 teaspoon tarragon or ½ dried tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

Braised cabbage
2 tablespoons of olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 medium onion finely slices
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
A small Savoy cabbage thinly slices, outer leaves discarded and core cut out
100ml of water
Salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Add rice, the lentils, salt and tarragon. Bring to a boil. The turn the heat low and cover the pan and cook for 25 – 30 minutes. Do not lift lid or stir during this time, as this will turn it to risotto consistency, rather than soft fluffy rice.

In the last 5 minutes, lift lid, give it a stir and check if the rice and lentils are tender and the stock has been absorbed. Give it a few more minutes if it still has some stock. When the stock has been absorbed, turn off heat.

While the pilau cooks, start the cabbage. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onions, stirring frequently until they have softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, the cabbage, water and salt and pepper. Cover the pan and let the cabbage cook for 10 minutes, checking from time to time, to make sure the pan is not scorching. Remove the lid, and let the cabbage cook for a further 15 minutes or so over medium heat, stirring every five minutes until the water has disappeared and cabbage looks glossy. Turn off heat

Stir the braised cabbage into the rice, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.