Another wonderful recipe by the wonderful Diana Henry. I highly recommend ALL her recipe books!
Toss leftover lamb or chicken into this too if you have it, or add chickpeas. You can extend and vary at will.
Serves 4
150g basmati rice
20g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
350ml chicken or vegetable stock
4 medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
½ small head of cauliflower, leaves removed, broken into florets
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large eggplant, cut into 1cm cubes
20g unsalted shelled pistachios, chopped
3 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped
225g full-fat Greek yogurt
½ tbsp harissa paste
Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear.
Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and sauté the onion until soft and pale gold. Add the garlic and spices and cook for another couple of minutes.
Now add the rice and stir until well coated and just beginning to toast. Add the stock and dates, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down low and cook for 15-20 minutes. Don’t stir or the rice will become sticky, but check towards the end to make sure it isn’t catching at the bottom of the saucepan.
Boil or steam the cauliflower until just tender (but not falling apart).
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and cook the aubergine over a medium heat to get a good color all over, then turn the heat down, season and cook until soft. Scrape into a bowl, add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and quickly fry the cauliflower over a high heat until toasted. Season.
Gently fork the eggplant and cauliflower into the cooked rice, along with the nuts and cilantro.
Serve with the yogurt in a bowl alongside the harissa.