British asparagus pilaf

Serves: 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 250g brown basmati rice
  • 1 bundle British asparagus
  • 30g unsalted butter
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 3 cloves
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • 700ml hot vegetable stock
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 3 tbsp flat leaf parsley chopped
  • salt and pepper

What to Do

Rinse the rice and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Trim the ends of the asparagus then cut into 3-4 pieces.

Melt the butter in a large pan then add the onion, garlic, thyme and spices and cook for 5 minutes until softened.

Add the rice and cook for a further minute, then pour the hot stock into the pan, cover with a piece of tin foil and place on a tight fitting lid. Cook over a low heat for 25-30 minutes.

Next, place the asparagus spears into the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, season with salt and pepper then a squeeze of lemon juice. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve.

British asparagus pilaf