Cauliflower Biryani – Healing Food

What’s your favourite Cauliflower recipe? My latest is Cauliflower Biryani! I love Biryani which is usually a baked rice dish. But I’ve perfected it with cauliflower, which makes it a vegetable laden healthy alternative to rice. A Don’t get me wrong, rice is awesome and still an important part of my diet, but I love playing with ingredients and finding ways to include more vegetables in every meal. Did you know that Traditional Chinese Medicine considers cauliflower to be a good tonic for the lungs? It’s helpful for cough and asthma and high in Vitamin C. This dish combines it with onion, garlic and ginger, which are all wonderful for boosting the lungs and strengthening the immune system. A wonderful healing food recipe.

Cauliflower Biryani Serves 4

Ingredients 

• 1 small head cauliflower processed to a coarse cauliflower rice
• 1 red onion
• 2 cm grated ginger
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 500g diced chicken thighs, green prawns or 1 packet firm tofu (cut into 2cm pieces) or leave protein out and exchange for 1/2 large eggplant diced)
• 1 zucchini cut into 1.5cm pieces

Biryani spice paste

• 2tbs coriander seeds
• 1 tbs cumin seeds
• 6 cardamon pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp cloves
• 1tsp tumeric powder

Toast all ingredients in a pan until fragrant, then grind using a processor or mortar and pestle OR use your favourite ready made biryani paste (I love Spencers).

Method

• Fry onion, garlic and ginger in a tbs of ghee or oil in a large deep pan.
• Add chicken or tofu and fry until brown.
• Add 1 – 2 tbs of dry spice mix or paste (start with 1 and add more to your taste)
• Fry on gentle heat until fragrant
• Add ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock (may need more) and cook until well mixed 
• Add cauliflower rice and zucchini.
• Continue to stir the pan until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
• Serve with slivered almonds, fresh coriander and a squeeze of lemon.
• A salsa of cucumber, tomato and mint also goes so well with this.

I hope you enjoy this! Let me know how it works out for you.

PS if you like cooking and serving healing foods to your family check out my Food as Medicine Course. Perfect time to start your learning journey!