Minty Rice Layered with Chickpeas and Greens

Name: Minty Rice Layered with Chickpeas and Greens (Kabuli Chana Biryani)
Yield: Serves 8
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 8 to 10 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed; 4 fresh or dried bay leaves; 2 small red onions; 1 coarsely chopped, 1 cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced; 2 large tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped; 8 ounces cauliflower, cut into ½-inch florets; 1 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped; 4 black, green, or white cardamom pods; 1 cup Indian or Pakistani white basmati rice; ½ cup golden raisins; 2 teaspoons cumin seeds; ½ cup raw cashew nuts; 2 cups cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed if canned); 4 tablespoons Ghee or canola oil; 8 ounces fresh spinach leaves, well rinsed and coarsely chopped; ½ teaspoon Punjabi garam masala; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 teaspoons Sambhar masala; 2 tablespoons Ghee or butter; 1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt; ½ teaspoon saffron threads; Vegetable cooking spray; 1 cup firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, finely chopped; 2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt; 2 cinnamon sticks (each 3 inches long)

Kabuli Chana Biryani

Preparation info

Serves
8

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

The first time I tested this recipe, I happened to have some cooked black chickpeas in the freezer, so I used them. They looked very pretty against the backdrop of green, orange, and red colors, nestled in the dish. If you have some cooked black chickpeas on hand, by all means use them—but regular canned chickpeas are perfectly acceptable.

Ingredients

Asia
India
Main course
Gluten-free
Vegetarian

Ingredients

Method