Lentil and Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients
-125 g brown or green lentils
-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
-2 onions; quartered and sliced
-2 cloves garlic; sliced
-1 2.5 cm cube ginger root; finely chopped
-1 teaspoon ground turmeric
-1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
-1 teaspoon ground coriander
-2 teaspoons ground cumin
-3 tomatoes; skinned and chopped
-1 aubergine; cut in 1 cm pieces
-1.75 litres boiling vegetable stock
-1 green or red pepper; seeded and diced
-3 hard boiled eggs; shelled
-350 g basmati rice; soaked for 30 minutes
-125 g green beans; topped, tailed, halved
-250 g cauliflower florets
-125 g mushrooms; sliced
-60 g unsalted cashews
- coriander sprigs; to garnish


Method
- Rinse the lentils under cold running water and drain. 
- Heat the ghee or oil in a saucepan, add the onions and fry gently for 2 minutes. 
- Stir in the garlic, ginger and spices and fry gently for 1 minute, stirring frequently. 
- Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, aubergine and 600 ml of the stock. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add the red or green pepper and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the lentils are tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Drain the rice and put in another pan with the remaining stock. Bring to the boil, add the green beans, cauliflower and mushrooms, then cover and cook gently for 15 minutes or until the rice and vegetables are tender. 
- Remove from the and leave to stand for 10 minutes, covered. Add the lentil mixture and the cashews to the cooked rice and mix lightly. - Pile on to a warm serving platter and garnish with wedges of hard-boiled egg and coriander sprigs. Serve hot.