Vegetable Biryani Salad What is Biryani.. and how did it become a salad? Biryani is basically a hearty rice dish usually made with stewed vegetables, often chicken and always a unique blend of exotic spices. Although the name has Persian origins, it has become more of a staple in Indian cuisine then anywhere else. Often whole seed spices are used which if you have them are wonderful but not particularly necessary or what most of us have sitting around the pantry. As my repertoire and passion usually move in the direction of an international deli, where dishes are served chilled and can be heated or not as by preference, I have made this into a chilled rice salad. The main change is that while the vegetables are usually stewed with tomatoes and yogurt to create a sauce, I’ve kept the tomatoes out til later in the preparation so they still have some body and replaced the yogurt with Veganaise. You can buy soy yogurt but I didn’t want the sweetness that comes with that product. 2c Brown Basmati Rice Yellow or White Onion, peeled and chopped 4 cloves Garlic, chopped 1head Cauliflower Florettes, chopped 1c Carrots, peeled, chopped 1c Green Beans, tipped, chopped 1bun Kale, stemmed, chopped 2lg Tomatoes, chopped 1/2bun Cilantro, chopped 1c Cashews (whole or pieces just depending on your preference) 1c Gold Raisins (Organic should spare you the sulphur) 4Tbl EVO 1/2c Veganaise Spice blend (mixed and divided into two): 1Tbl ea Cumin, Kosher Salt 2tsp ea Garlic, Cardamom, Coriander 1tsp ea Turmeric, Ginger, Cinnamon Rinse rice, cook on stovetop (boil water, add rice & spice, reduce to simmer, cover, cook aprox 35min) or rice cooker with aprox 4c water and aprox 1/2 the spices listed above. Set aside to cool. Blanch cauliflower, carrots & green beans just al-dente for ‘lighter’ cooking. Set aside In a lg skillet, sauté onion, garlic & cashews in 2Tbl oil til starting to brown, add garbanzos & raisins, continue sautéing 3 min. Move to rice bowl. Set aside. In same skillet (no need to wash) sauté vegetables w/ remaining oil & spices til tender, remove from heat & fold in kale. When kale has wilted, fold in tomatoes. Toss everything together including the Veganaise & cilantro, chill. SALUD!
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 15:54:55 +0000