Easy bite: How to make this delicious dill, lemon and green bean pilaf

This tasty recipe is from Herb by Mark Diacono, Quadrille, £26, which is out now.

It has a cooking time of one hour and serves four to six.

You’ll need

• 300g (10oz) basmati rice
• 400ml (14fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock
• 30g (1oz) butter
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Big bunch of dill, stalks and leaves separated and finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 200g (7oz) green beans, stalk end trimmed (or use thin slices of courgette)
• Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 40g (1½oz) shelled pistachios (or almonds), roughly chopped
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
• Natural yoghurt and lemon wedges to serve

You’ll need

Soak the rice in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes, then drain well. Bring the stock to a bare simmer.

Melt the butter in a wide pan over a low-medium heat and cook the onion, garlic, bay leaves and dill stalks for 10 minutes until soft. Add the spices and half a teaspoon salt and cook for a minute.

Add the rice to the pan, along with the beans and half of the dill leaves, stirring for 30 seconds to coat well and so it doesn’t burn. Cover the rice with the hot stock, add the lemon zest and check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Put the lid on and cook for five minutes over a high heat, then turn it down to the lowest heat and cook for 10 minutes until the stock is absorbed and the rice is just tender. Turn the heat off, remove the lid and place a tea towel over the pan, then return the lid and leave to rest for five minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork, then scatter over the remaining dill and the nuts and serve immediately with yoghurt and lemon wedges on the side.