Nice. Rice. Baby. by Christian Collins and Oliver Allon (Manger Sans Frontières)

Method

Served in a big dish for everyone to share, this curry, if not totally authentic, is fresh, healthy and cost just over a fiver to serve 6 (…yes 6!)

This simple meal combines spiced, roasted cauliflower with a simple curry sauce made with little more than spices, paneer and tomatoes. These are then tossed together with wild rice and fresh spinach to finish things off. Our novel take on a traditional curry is easy to prepare and looks great served in one dish so everyone can get involved, and it hardly takes any time to put together. The great thing about this recipe is that you can take it any direction, swapping the cauliflower for aubergine or the spinach for peas.

Without even thinking about it we’ve made this a vegetarian dish so everyone can enjoy it! All our friends loved this dish, so we hope you do to. 

Start by getting a full kettle on, prepping the veg and putting the oven to 180.

Curry:

Add the sliced onions to a frying pan with a good glug of sunflower oil over a medium heat. Once softened, add the chopped garlic and the spices. Fry for a couple of minutes before adding the tomatoes, a pinch of sugar and the cubed paneer. Leave to simmer over a low heat, keeping an eye, and adding a splash of water if it starts to look too dry.

Rice:

Meanwhile, add the hot water to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Rinse the rice under a cold tap and add to the pan and cook for 18 minutes.

Cauliflower:

While the rice is cooking, toss the cauliflower in a bowl with the ground spices. Heat the butter with a little oil in an oven-proof pan over a medium high heat. Let the butter foam in the pan and when it starts to turn brown add the spiced cauliflower, together with any excess spices from the bowl. Leave until brown and then transfer to a hot oven covered with foil for 10-15 minutes.

Now, to bring it all together:

Get a nice big dish and combine the drained rice, curry mixture and roasted cauliflower and then add the fresh spinach and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Toss it all together until the spinach has wilted and put on the table for everyone to get stuck into!

Great with cool raita and warm chapattis to mop it up with. 

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