Rigg says: “Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients here: many of them are store cupboard items. This recipe is inspired by, and borrows elements from, two staple dishes in which rice is cooked with lentils and caramelized onions – Egyptian koshari and Middle Eastern mujaddara. Pomegranate seeds are often used to lend a note of tart sweetness to savoury rice but you could replace them with a tablespoon of sour barberries or dried cranberries if you prefer.”

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 onions, thinly sliced
4–5 tbsp olive oil
A good pinch of saffron stamens
100g Puy lentils
5 medium parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthways
5 carrots, peeled and quartered lengthways
5 medium beetroots, trimmed and quartered (no need to peel)
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes
½ tsp garlic granules
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300g brown basmati rice, rinsed
200g cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
500ml vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp maple syrup
Seeds of ½ pomegranate
Leaves from a small bunch of coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the chermoula dressing:

1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
1 fat garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 mild green chilli (such as fresh jalapeño), sliced
2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
25g flat-leaf parsley, leaves and stalks, very roughly chopped
25g coriander, leaves and stalks, very roughly chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp ground sumac
½ tsp cayenne pepper
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Start by cooking the rice. Tip the onions into a heavy, lidded saucepan, add 2 tbsp olive oil and cook slowly over a low–medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until very soft and starting to caramelize at the edges. Soak the saffron in 2 tbsp freshly boiled water in a small bowl. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas mark 6 and line one large or two smaller baking trays with baking paper.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas mark 6 and line one large or two smaller baking trays with baking paper.

Meanwhile, rinse the lentils and cook in a pan of boiling water for about 20 minutes until just tender but still with a little ‘bite’. Drain and set aside.

Combine the prepared root veg in a large bowl. Lightly crush the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and Aleppo chilli flakes using a pestle and mortar.

Add to the veggies with the garlic granules and 2–3 tbsp olive oil. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well to thoroughly coat the vegetables in spices.

Arrange in a single layer on the lined baking tray(s) and roast for about 45 minutes, turning halfway through, until tender and browning at the edges.

Meanwhile, add the crushed garlic to the onions and cook for a further minute. Add the rice to the pan, along with the drained lentils and chickpeas. Pour the veg stock and saffron, with its soaking water, into the pan, add the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to its lowest setting. Cook for about 30 minutes until the rice is tender and the stock has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and leave covered until ready to serve.

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