100g (½ cup) brown rice
100g (½ cup) green lentils
500g (5 cups) cauliflower
florets, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tbsp za’atar spice mix
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt, to taste
4 small red onions, sliced in half lengthwise, with skins still on
300g (2 cups) red onions, finely sliced boiling hot water
50ml (scant ¼ cup) sherry vinegar
50ml (scant ¼ cup) apple cider vinegar
1 tsp beetroot powder (optional)
50g (1⁄3 cup) sunflower seeds
1 tsp light tahini
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp soya cream
Tabasco, to taste (optional)
20g (1 cup) coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
a little pomegranate molasses (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. While the oven is warming up, prepare the rice and lentils. Put them into a saucepan, add water to cover plus 2cm (¾in) more water. Put the lid on the pan. Bring it to the boil on a high heat, then lower to a medium heat.
2 Put the cauliflower into a large bowl. Add the za’atar, oil and salt, to taste. Mix well. Put the cauliflower on a wide baking tray with the four halved small red onions. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cauliflower is just cooked.
3 Put the finely sliced red onions into a bowl, cover them with boiling hot water and rest for a few minutes. This softens the onions. Drain them in a sieve and rinse them under a cold tap. Put them back into the bowl with the two vinegars and beetroot powder (if using). Allow the pickled red onions to soak until you are ready to serve.
4 Heat a dry frying pan on a medium heat, add the seeds and toast until they are fragrant and browned.
5 Once the rice and lentils are cooked and nearly all of the water has evaporated, remove the pan from the heat. Remove the lid, place a tea towel on top of the pan, then replace the lid. Leave the rice for another 5 minutes. This will make the rice more fluffy.
6 To make the sauce, mix the tahini, oil, vinegar and cream with a fork in a small bowl or jug. Add Tabasco to taste, if you are using it.
7 Add the seeds and salt to the rice and lentils. Pile this onto two plates. Add the coriander, then the cauliflower. Remove the baked onions from their skins and place them on the plates with the tahini sauce, pickled onions and pomegranate molasses (if using). Serve immediately.