Spiced Vegetable Pilaf

By Hester

Ingredients

• 6 carrots, cut lengthways into 6-8 wedges
• 3 red onions, cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 200 g brown basmati rice, rinsed
• 400 ml vegetable stock
• 400g can brown lentils, rinsed and drained
• 200 g baby spinach
• handful toasted flaked almonds, or a few whole almonds (optional)

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from bbcgoodfood.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In boiling water, cook carrots for 4 mins, tipping in onions for the last min of cooking. Drain and mix in a roasting tin with 4 tsp oil, the cumin and seasoning. Roast for 30 mins, while you cook the rice.

2. Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in a large pan. Add cardamom and cinnamon for 30 secs, then add rice and toast for 1 min. Pour over stock and 100ml water, then simmer, covered, for 25-30 mins, until rice is tender and the water absorbed. Remove cinnamon and cardamom.

3. Tip in lentils and fork through before topping with spinach. Put lid back on and cook over a low heat, stirring once, until spinach has wilted and lentils heated through. Fork through again before tipping the cumin roasted veg onto the top and sprinkling with almonds, if using.