Vegetable Biryani made with Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables and especially since I went Keto almost 3 years go. It is a great substitute for rice. If you are concerned about pesticides, you can cut the cauliflower into florets and soak it in a solution of vinegar and water for 15 minutes before washing it in clean water to cook. Biryani is traditionally a rice dish made with spices, meat and vegetables. Here, I replace regular rice with cauliflower ‘rice’, and in case you haven’t picked up on this trend, here’s how it works: Take the washed cauliflower florets and use a food processor or a steel cheese grater to grate it into shreds like rice.  There you have it – cauliflower ‘rice’!  You can substitute cauliflower with chayote squash (chow chow) or banana flowers/banana stems. Biryani is the perfect dish for cauliflower ‘rice’ because cauliflower goes so well with the spices involved: ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom and chilies. Served with toasted cashews in ghee and/or paneer, it is a great filling dish.

INGREDIENTS

Servings – 4

1. 1 cauliflower – shredded like rice
2. 1 cup of butter 10 cashew nuts, raw
3. 1 bay leaf
4. 4 cloves
5. 1 cinnamon stick
6. 5 cardamom pods
7. 1 large onion, finely sliced
8. 50g green beans, trimmed
9. 50g carrots, cut into batons
10. 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
11. 30g peas, fresh or frozen
12. Grind together: 4 green chillies, or more to taste 4 garlic cloves 1 slice of root ginger, 6 cm  thick
13. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
14. 1/2 tsp salt or more to taste
15. 200g of tomatoes, chopped
16. 1 handful of coriander leaves, chopped 1 handful of mint leaves

Melt butter in a large pan and place over a medium heat. Once hot, add the cashew nuts, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring until aromatic. Stir in the onions and cook for 10 minutes until nicely golden brown. Add the chopped tomatoes until it becomes a nice sauce. Add the beans, carrots, pepper, peas and the chilli, garlic, ginger paste followed by turmeric and salt, then place a lid on the pan and continue to cook for 10 minutes on a very gentle heat, stirring from time to time to prevent burning After 10 to 15 minutes, stir in the cauliflower rice and cook for a further 3-5 minutes until it reaches the texture you like. Stir in the fresh herbs, stir well and remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Taste the biryani, adjusting the seasoning and adding more herbs if needed, then place in a large serving dish. Serve with shredded cucumber in Greek or homemade yoghurt and some toasted cashews. You can add paneer or chicken/mutton/turkey etc. cooked in the ground chilies/garlic/ginger and turmeric and salt. Carbohydrate count – 7 grams per serving!