Vegetarian mains
Spiced Tarka Cashew & Cabbage Stir-fry
Tarka is the traditional Indian method of frying spices and aromatics in oil to release their full flavour. Here we are using whole spices, so watch out as they may pop when fried. Keep them moving too, to ensure that they don’t catch and burn. We’re using a spiced oil to finish this speedy veg stir-fry.
Ingredients
For the stir-fry
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 125g white basmati rice, rinsed
- 50g cashew nuts, roughly chopped
- 2cm fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 200g finely sliced cabbage – savoy, January King, pointed etc
- 200g sliced French or flat beans
- 1 lime
- 120ml of yoghurt
- 15g fresh coriander
- Ghee or oil for frying
For the tarka mix
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 chillies, thinly sliced add to taste
Method
-
Step 1
Add the cinnamon and rice to a saucepan along with a pinch of salt. Stir once and pour over double the volume of water (about 300ml). Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat to its lowest setting and cook for 10 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to steam, covered for a further 5 mins.
-
Step 2
Meanwhile, make the tarka - Heat 2 tbsp of ghee or oil in a frying pan. Gently fry the mustard seeds and cumin seeds for 30 seconds, until they start to crackle, then add the garlic and as much chilli as you fancy. Fry for 30 secs - 1 mins, until the garlic starts to lightly colour, then transfer the mix to a small bowl.
-
Step 3
Next, clean out the frying pan and the heat ½ tbsp of oil or ghee. Add the cashew nuts, ginger, turmeric, fennel seeds and garam masala. Gently fry for 1 min, stirring continuously, until fragrant. Add the beans, 100ml water and a pinch of salt. Cover the pan with a lid. Leave to cook for 3-4 min. Uncover, increase the heat slightly, toss in the cabbage and stir-fry for a further 2 mins (add a little splash of water to help them along), until the beans and cabbage are just tender with a little bite. Taste and tweak the seasoning to your liking. Add a little lime zest and a good squeeze of juice to taste.
-
Step 4
Remove the cinnamon stick from the rice before fluffing with a fork.
-
Step 5
Serve the rice with the cabbage and beans, spoon over the tarka and yoghurt, and finish with freshly chopped coriander.