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Lentil Biryani

 

Hmm, lets see, do I need to eat more legumes, hell yes! and there is a perfect book to help me do that in so many different ways. Kathy Hester’s The Great Vegan Bean Book has a lot of my favorite things, beans, lots of beans, plant-based with options for gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free or oil-free. 

There are beans for breakfast, meals and even dessert(chickpea cookies and black bean fudgesicles). There are usual vegan meals, burgers, dips and then other cuisines and fusion recipes to choose from Indian, Mexican, Jamaican, Asian, French, Moroccan, you name it. If you don’t win a copy at this giveaway, pick The Great Vegan Bean Book at amazon.

 Kathy explains all the possible standard beans, along with variations for specialty heirloom beans. She describes which beans are in each family and that can be used interchange-ably in a recipe.

 The book has nutrition information with each recipe.
It has Recipes to make your own staples like chorizo and chik-un patties.
Staples to keep food budget in check and also to avoid all the added preservatives.
Allergy friendly, gluten- and soy-free and no added oil and also an index for gluten and soy-free.

I made this Smoky White Bean dip from the book. I added a roasted Red bell pepper to it and spiced it up a bit more for my taste, and sent most of it and fresh veggies, packing with hubbs for his rafting trip. It was a definite hit with everyone. 



 I also used another batch of the dip to make sandwiches the next day. They will soon be posted in a separate post. I added some roasted Veggies and greens. 

You can check out many more tried and tested recipes from the book on Kathy’s blog tour, like these Pecan Chickpea Chocolate Chip cookies, butternut Squash Frijoles, These Chickpea Seitan Crispy patties & Coconut Pecan Blondies! 

Super Easy Lentil Biryani 
soy-free gluten-free oil-free

If you’ve had the longest day ever and still need to make dinner, this is the recipe for you. Throw everything into a pan or your rice cooker and dinner will be ready in no time!
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups (279 g) brown basmati rice
4 cups (950 ml) water, plus more if needed
½ cup (96 g) lentils
¼ cup (35 g) chopped cashews
¼ cup (35 g) raisins
¼ cup (33 g) minced dried apricots
2 teaspoons minced ginger
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks or ½ teaspoon ground
3 black cardamom pods or ½ teaspoon ground
4 whole cloves or ¼ teaspoon ground
8 whole black peppercorns or ¼ teaspoon ground
10 coriander seeds or 1 teaspoon ground
½ teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon salt

Yield: 4 servings
Total Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Cooking Time: 40 to 60 minutes
Per 1 ½-Cup (340 g) serving: 
377.0 calories; 5.0 g total fat; 0.5 g saturated fat; 10.0 g protein; 76.5 g carbohydrate; 7.5 g dietary fiber; 0 mg cholesterol.

Stove-Top- Directions:
Put all the ingredients except the salt into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and
decrease the heat to low and cook until the rice and lentils are tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Check after 30 minutes
and add more water if needed.
Add the salt and adjust other seasonings if needed and remove the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cardamom
pods before serving.

Rice Cooker Directions:
The two differences between cooking this on the stove top and in your rice cooker is that you will use 2 cups
(380 g) brown basmati rice (use the measuring cup that came with your rice cooker) and add water to fill line 2
in your rice cooker plus 1 cup (235 ml) water in a regular measuring cup.
Put all the ingredients into the rice cooker and cook on the brown rice setting if you have one.
When your rice cooker beeps, taste, add salt, and taste again. Adjust the other seasonings if needed and remove the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cardamom pods before serving.
 
Recipe from The Great Vegan Bean Book. Republished with permission. 

 

About Richa

Hi, I'm Richa! I create flavorful plant based recipes that are inspired by my Indian upbringing, including many gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free options.

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154 Comments

  1. Amanda Thomas says:

    I love lima beans with hot sauce.

    Reply
  2. Virtually Vegan Mama says:

    I love beans, but need to definitely eat more of them…I don’t like them plain but love them mixed into rices and flavored correctly…loving this recipe you posted…I love all types of bean spreads and bean burgers…lentil soup is my favorite…thanks for sharing this cookbook, I’m loving the sound of it!

    xo

    Jen

    Reply
  3. Karen Delaney says:

    Anasazi beans..make great refried beans!

    Reply
  4. Concetta says:

    I don’t have a favorite because I don’t eat enough beans. This book will solve my problem. Thanks.

    Reply
  5. Cheryl says:

    Love adjuki beans, black beans, pinto beans,and black eyed peas. Can’t think of a bean I don’t like. A favorite soup is made with kale, great northern beans, tomatoes, carrots and celery with a few drops of liquid smoke and toasted sesame oil. Thank you for the opportunity.

    Reply
  6. Jan Scholl says:

    I have never met a bean or legume or any cousin I didn’t like but the darker the bean the more tasty I find them. I recently went to an Indian grocery store and found a couple of beans I never heard of including one in the lima family called Christmas beans. I hear they are an heirloom variety. Can’t wait to make some and surprise my daughter who hates limas! Bet she won’t know the history of these.

    Reply
  7. Lilli says:

    Chickpeas are beans!! (Garbanzo beans) I don’t know of many kinds of beans because i’m a little afraid of cooking them poorly and ruining a dish, so I mostly use kidney beans and cannellini beans. I like to use them as a substitute for the grains in tabbouleh and if you mush cannellini beans you can make a really nifty vegan creme brulee.

    Reply
  8. Kristin says:

    I love all beans, legumes, pulses. Currently, I think lentils, black-eyed peas, chick peas, and fava beans (ful medames!!!) are my favorites. A dish I have recently fallen in love with is my adaption of a recipe my CSA included with our share a few weeks ago. It’s Carrot Top and Quinoa soup–a fantastic way to use carrot tops rather than discarding them! I used leeks in place of onions, tossed in some herbs, and added lentils to thicken the dish (I prefer stews to thin soups) and bring it to a whole new level. So tasty!!!

    Thanks for all the great recipes in your wonderful blog! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Joanne T Ferguson says:

    G’day! Love your photo, true!
    Am a big bean person, love every kind and now your post has inspired me to do! 🙂
    Cheers! Joanne
    https://www.facebook.com/whatsonthelist

    Reply
  10. Anonymous says:

    Love black bean burgers!!! But also steamed soy beans with a sprinkle of sea salt. Yummmm
    -Terri-

    Reply