2 weeks ago
13
My mother’s greatest fears are an empty fridge and underfed family and friends. That’s why there’s always a glut of fresh produce in the kitchen, both hers and mine – like mother, like daughter. At this time of year, that means courgettes, and the usual way I dispatch them is in a shaak (dry curry) or a pilau. Today’s dish is a combination of the two: spiced fried courgettes, just shy of melted, tossed through rice with fresh herbs and served with a fancy salted pistachio yoghurt masquerading as a raita.
Courgette and mint pilau with salted pistachio yoghurt
Prep 15 min
Cook 55 min
Serves 4
For the rice
300g basmati rice
Olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and sliced into very thin half-moons
Fine sea salt
750g courgettes, cut into thin half-moons
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
450ml vegetable stock
20g fresh mint, leaves picked
For the yoghurt
40g shelled pistachios, very finely chopped
30g fresh coriander, very finely chopped
2 green finger chillies, stalks discarded, the rest very finely chopped
½ tsp agave syrup
½ tsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
200g greek yoghurt
Put the rice in a bowl, cover with cold water, then squish with your hands to wash the rice until the water goes cloudy. Drain the rice and repeat three to five times, until the water runs clear, then cover with fresh cold water and put to one side.
To cook the onions, heat four tablespoons of oil in a wide saute pan. When it’s hot, add the sliced onions and a teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for eight to 10 minutes, until soft and browning. Add the courgettes and cook, stirring every now and then, for 15 minutes. Stir in the garlic, coriander and cumin, cook for a couple of minutes, until the raw garlic smell has gone, then take off the heat and leave to cool.
Drain the rice, put it in a medium saucepan for which you have a tight-fitting lid, then pour over the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, turn down the heat to a whisper, cover and leave to cook for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside, lid still on, for another 10 minutes.
To make the pistachio yoghurt, in a small bowl mix the pistachios, coriander, chillies, agave syrup, salt and lemon juice with four tablespoons of olive oil. In a second small bowl, mix the yoghurt with a big pinch of salt, then thin with up to 50ml water until it’s the texture of double cream. Stir well, then top with the pistachio mixture.
Tip the courgette mix on to the hot rice, tear in most of the mint leaves and fold in until well combined. Transfer to a platter, top with the remaining mint and serve with the salted pistachio yoghurt alongside.
