Baked Butternut Squash Biryani With Dessert & A Chicken Breast

Before you begin...

This recipe takes around 5-10 min to prep, so get your casserole dish and all your ingredients ready, then wash your fruit and veg

Note: Make sure your dish is oven-proof and safe to use on the hob. Don't have one? Start cooking in a large, wide-based pan then transfer to an oven-proof dish and cover tightly with foil

Added chicken? Cook at 220°C / 200°C (fan) / gas 7 for 18-20 min

Now, let's get started!

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

Boil a kettle

Heat a large, wide-based, hob-safe oven-proof casserole dish with a matching lid with a drizzle of olive oil over a high heat

Once hot, add your butternut squash cubes to the dish

Chop your tomato[es] into wedges

Crush your garlic open by squashing with the side of a knife and remove the skins

Add the tomato wedges and crushed garlic to the dish

Crush your cardamom pods open by squashing them with the side of a knife

Cut your ginger in half (no need to peel!)

Add the crushed cardamom pods and halved ginger to the dish with your ground turmeric, curry powder and bay leaf[ves] and give everything a good mix up

Sprinkle in your vegetable stock mix

Add your basmati rice with 350ml [525ml] [700ml] boiled water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Cover with a lid and put the dish in the oven for 15-20 min or until all the water has absorbed, the squash is fork-tender and the rice is cooked

Once the rice is cooked, remove the dish from the oven and set aside for 5 min to steam (keep the lid on!) – this is your baked butternut squash biryani

Slice your green chilli[es] finely

Chop your coriander roughly, including the stalks