Garden Biryani
By: Helen Pitlick
Published: Friday, December 10, 2010 - 1:02am

Ingredients




4 tablespoons mild, light-flavored olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1 small red or green bell pepper cut into 1" pieces
2 cups raw brown rice
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 cups boiling water
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans cut in 1 ½" pieces
1 cup strip-cut carrots 1 ½" strips
3/4 cup broccoli florets
3/4 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup diced potato
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts or cashews

Preparation

1 Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and red or green pepper for 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until it is coated with oil. 2 Add the ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. 3 Add the boiling water. As soon as the water returns to a boil, add the green beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, potato, and peas. Cover and gently simmer the mixture for 45 minutes, until rice is tender. 4 Immediately before serving, heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute the nuts until they are slightly toasted. Sprinkle over biryani.

About


Biryani is a form of rice pilaf from northern India. It is a treasure chest of vegetables, spices, and nuts. This version is made with brown rice.