Nice rice!

Stretch your budget with this affordable, versatile staple with our selection of recipes both local and international

IT'S a satisfying grain and the most widely eaten food. In fact rice is the main ingredient in many countries’ traditional dishes.

Rice absorbs flavours well and there’s no end to the sweet and savoury recipes built around it.

FISH BIRYANI

Not as heavy as a meat or chicken biryani, a fish version is great for this time of year.

SERVES 6-8 Preparation: 25 min Cooking: 1 hour

FISH 800g fresh hake, or any other firm white fish 30ml (2T) fish masala salt and pepper oil for shallow-frying 750ml (3c) basmati rice 250ml (1c) brown

lentils 45ml (3T) olive oil 4 onions, chopped MARINADE 250ml (1c) buttermilk 1 can (410g) chopped

tomatoes 2 handfuls of fresh

coriander, chopped 2 cinnamon sticks 3 cardamom pods 3 garlic cloves,

chopped 1 star anise 2-3 whole dried red

chillies 7ml (1½t) salt 10ml (2t) chilli powder 30ml (2T) fish masala 10ml (2t) ground cumin 1ml (¼t) turmeric zest and juice of

2 lemons ASSEMBLY 45ml (3T) butter,

diced TO SERVE fresh coriander plain yoghurt sambal of chopped spring onion and tomato

Preheat the oven to 150°C. 1 Fish Season the fish with the masala, salt and pepper and shallow-fry in a little oil for 1-2 minutes a side. Set aside. 2 Cook the rice and lentils according to the packet instructions. 3 Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onions until translucent. Set aside. 4 Marinade Mix the ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. 5 Assembly In a large ovenproof casserole dish, layer the biryani. Begin with a layer of onions, followed by rice, lentils, marinade and finally a few pieces of fish. Repeat the layers, reserving enough rice to end with a good covering of rice. Dot the top all over with the diced butter. Cover with baking paper, a lid or foil and bake for 50 minutes. 6 To serve Remove from the oven, garnish with coriander and serve with a dollop of plain yoghurt and the sambal.

(Turn over)