With a few carefully chosen ingredients, create rich aromas and flavours in wholesome recipes from Dr Chintal Patel
One-pan chicken & spinach pulao
When I don’t have time to make a chicken biryani, I turn to this meal, which can be whipped up in just 30 minutes. It combines elements of both biryani and pulao methods, resulting in a dish that may not be an authentic biryani but is a quick, close second. Serve alongside a side salad of onions and tomatoes, and with a dollop of yogurt or raita.
SERVES 4-6 PREP 15 mins COOK 15 mins EASY
300g basmati rice
1 red onion, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
3 black cardamom pods
2 green cardamom pods
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
4cm piece of fresh ginger, grated or minced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
700g skinless and boneless chicken thighs,cut into cubes
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
200g baby spinach leaves
50g fresh coriander, chopped
50g fried onions (optional)
1 Rinse the rice in a sieve under running water or in a bowl, draining at least three times. Tip into a large pan and cover with at least 1.5 litres of boiling water. Boil for 4-5 mins to partially cook the rice, then drain and set it aside.
2 Meanwhile, fry the onion and whole spices in the oil in a large heavy pan over a medium heat. As the onions start to brown, add the ginger and garlic. Stir for a minute, then add the turmeric, ground coriander and 1 tsp salt. Mix well.
3 Add the chopped chicken, cook, stirring, over a medium-high heat and let it brown for a few minutes.
4 Pour in the tomatoes, bring the mixture to a simmer, and stir in the spinach leaves. Once the spinach has wilted, transfer half of the curry to a plate.
5 Layer half of the partially cooked rice on top of the chicken that remains in the pan, then place the rest of the chicken (the portion set aside earlier) onto the rice. Finally, add the remaining portion of rice on top. Sprinkle over the chopped coriander and the fried onions, if using.
6 Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook over a medium heat for 5 mins. Remove from the heat and leave the lid on for 10 mins more to achieve perfectly fluffy rice.
tip
MAKE IT VEGETARIAN Use 500g paneer, chopped into bite-sized pieces, instead of the chicken in step 4.
For extra colour and flavour, add a few strands of saffron to 50ml boiling water, mix and drizzle over the rice in step 6.
Miso butter bean orzo
This is a speedy one-pan meal with all the umami coming from the miso paste. Feel free to swap out the butter b
