Vegetable biryani

I felt that I hadn't had enough vegetables in the last few days, so for dinner last night, I made a vegetable biryani. This is my second time ever making it, having rather enjoyed my first attempt. 

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil (I use extra virgin organic coconut oil)
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
sugar snaps
green beans
80g biryani curry paste (I used Patak's)
300ml water
150g tomato passata
200g wholegrain basmati rice (uncooked, rinsed, drained)
ground cumin
dried coriander
ground paprika
squeeze of lemon (optional)

Method

1. In a pan, gently fry the onions till golden.
2. Stir in the biryani curry paste, add the chopped carrots and peppers and fry for 3 minutes.
3. Add the drained basmati rice, tomato passata, water, cumin, coriander, and paprika.
4. Mix well and cover the pan. Simmer on a low heat for 8-10 minutes until the rice is nearly cooked.
5. Mix in the sugar snaps and green beans and cook till soften but still crunchy.
6. Once the rice is cooked and the water has evaporated, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (this really lifts the dish) and it is ready to serve.

I wouldn't claim that the way I cooked it is authentic at all, but it turned out quite well. In fact, my husband asked for full bowl of it despite not being entirely enthused when I first told him what was for dinner. After a few bites, he commented that my vegetable biryani was indeed top notch. Now, that's high praise from a carnivore. :)