Kitchen Greatest Hits: Cavolo Nero and Split Pea Biryani
Nigel Barden shares his favourite recipes
Last updated 7th Jan 2022
Chef Nigel Barden joins Simon Mayo's Drivetime Show to create delicious recipes for Kitchen Greatest Hits.
Every week, Nigel offers a new recipe for you to try! Click here to see all the recipes so far.
Cavolo Nero and Split Pea Biryani
This week's recipe is a Cavolo Nero and Split Pea Biryani from the book ‘Planted’ (Kyle Books) written by chef Chantelle Nicholson.
Talking about why he chose the dish, Nigel said that it: "champions the Italian leafy green Cavolo Nero which now grows abundantly in the UK and also split peas, which are simply dried peas. Both of these bring an interesting texture and flavour to a dish that is also rich in coconut milk and has a spice base of ginger, turmeric, green chilli, cinnamon, cardamom and cumin."
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 1hr 40 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
150ml vegetable oil, plus an extra 25ml
4 onions, peeled and finely sliced
180g yellow split peas, rinsed well
400ml coconut milk
400g basmati rice, washed until the water runs clear
A pinch of saffron threads
25g non-dairy butter (Nigel says use butter if you aren’t making a vegan version)
250g cavolo nero
Sea salt
For the spice paste
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
4cm knob of ginger, peeled and finely grated
4cm knob of turmeric, peeled and finely grated or 2 tsp ground turmeric
1 green chilli, finely diced
2 bay leaves
12 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
To serve
Coconut yogurt
1 bunch of coriander, leaves finely chopped
Method
Heat 150ml of vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a moderately high heat. When almost smoking, add the onions and salt and cook for 20–25 minutes, until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper to drain. Retain the oil.
Pour half the retained oil into a large saucepan and set over a medium heat. When hot, add all the ingredients from the spice base. Season with a little salt and cook for 5 minutes until fragrant. Add 300ml of warm water and the split peas, stirring well. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 25 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the coconut milk and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
While the spice base is cooking, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the rice and part-cook for 6 minutes. Drain well.
Put the saffron in a small bowl and pour over 50ml of boiling water.
Line the base of a medium to large saucepan with a circle of parchment paper. Put 25ml vegetable oil, plus the butter, on top of the paper and set over a moderately high heat. When hot, layer a third of the rice on the base. Spoon over a little of the saffron water. Layer half the split pea mix on top, followed by half the cavolo nero leaves and a third of the crispy onions. Repeat the layers. Top with the remaining third of rice, the saffron water and onions. Cover with a firmly fitting lid and cook over a low–medium heat for 40 minutes. Don’t be tempted to lift the lid and check while cooking, as the steam will escape, which is needed to cook the rice.
Check the biryani after 40 minutes to see if the rice is al dente. If so, it is ready. If not, leave for a further 10 minutes.
When ready serve with coconut yogurt and coriander alongside.
Take a look at all of Nigel's Kitchen's Greatest Hits:
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