Basmati and wild rice salad with saffron cauliflower, honey-roast pears and zhoug
This colourful rice salad recipe combines a plethora of tasty ingredients which all come together in perfect harmony. Cauliflower is roasted with saffron and cinnamon; pears are roasted in honey; kale is baked until crisp and a verdant zhoug dressing is tempered with creamy tahini. An incredible vegetarian salad that's well worth the effort.
First published in 2019
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Toasted saffron (for the rice and the roasted cauliflower)
- 1 tsp saffron
Spiced basmati and wild rice
- 100g of basmati and wild rice mix
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 pinch of salt
Saffron and cinnamon-roasted cauliflower
- 100g of coconut oil
- 1 tsp turmeric, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 1 garlic clove, large, minced
- 1 tbsp of chaat masala
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cauliflower, cut into florets and stalk sliced
- salt
Honey-roasted pears
- 4 pears, halved
- 1 tbsp of pomegranate molasses
- 2 tbsp of verjuice
- 50g of honey, preferably Manuka
Zhoug
- 25g of coriander
- 15g of parsley
- 2 green chillies, deseeded
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 30ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 30ml of water
- 1 tbsp of sherry vinegar
To serve
- 1 handful of pomegranate seeds
- 1 handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 handful of chopped coriander
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Food processor
Method
1
To begin, toast the saffron strands. Place a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the saffron. Cook until gently toasted and aromatic, but do not allow to burn. Set aside a small pinch of the saffron to one side for the rice, and place the rest in a small bowl with a splash of water for the cauliflower
- 1 tsp saffron
2
Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the cinnamon stick, the pinch of toasted saffron, and a pinch of salt. Add the rice blend and stir. Place a lid on the pan and cook according to packet instructions
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 100g of basmati and wild rice mix
- 1 pinch of salt
3
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
4
Meanwhile, prepare the roasted cauliflower. In a saucepan set over a medium heat, melt the coconut oil and add the soaked saffron, (be careful as the wet saffron will make the oil spit a little) turmeric, ginger, garlic, chaat masala, fennel, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Cook gently until aromatic and bubbling
- 100g of coconut oil
- 1 tsp turmeric, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 1 garlic clove, large, minced
- 1 tbsp of chaat masala
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- salt
5
Coat the cauliflower well with the mixture, place in a baking tray and roast for about 8 minutes, or until caramelised all over. Reserve to one side
- 1 cauliflower, broken into florets
6
When the rice is ready, drain well and spread out onto a tray or plate to allow to cool
7
Lower the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3. Line a baking tray with baking paper
8
To prepare the pears, peel away stripes of the skin for a decorative finish and scoop out the core using a spoon. Whisk together the pomegranate molasses, verjus and honey, mix well with the pears and pour everything onto the baking tray. Bake until tender
- 4 pears, peeled and halved
- 1 tbsp of pomegranate molasses
- 50g of honey, preferably Manuka
- 2 tbsp of red verjus
9
To prepare the zhoug, simply place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse together to form a fairly smooth paste
- 25g of coriander
- 15g of parsley
- 2 green chillies, deseeded
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 30ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 30ml of water
- 1 tbsp of sherry vinegar
12
To serve, layer up all of the salad elements, sprinkling with coriander, pomegranate seeds and parsley as you go. Finish with the kale crisps and serve
- 1 handful of chopped coriander
- 1 handful of pomegranate seeds
- 1 handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
First published in 2019
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