SPICY VEGETABLE PILAU WITH CUCUMBER RAITA

Spicy vegetable pilau with cucumber raita image

Replace rice with freekeh for a deliciously different, low-calorie one-pot with red pepper and sweet sultanas

Provided by Sara Buenfeld

Categories Buffet, Dinner, Lunch, Main course, Side dish, Supper

Time 40m

Number Of Ingredients 20

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

Steps:

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.
Meanwhile, finish the raita by stirring the yogurt, cucumber and mint into the grated garlic.
When the pilau is cooked, stir in the coriander and cashews, and serve with the raita.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 471 calories, Fat 20 grams fat, SaturatedFat 4 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 53 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 27 grams sugar, Fiber 7 grams fiber, Protein 17 grams protein, Sodium 0.2 milligram of sodium