Golden Fennel Rice

Golden Fennel Rice

We keep coming back to this one because it's the kind of dish that looks and tastes seriously impressive but is really just good ingredients treated well. Golden caramelised fennel, fluffy rice, toasted almonds for crunch, and grated tofu that soaks up all those gorgeous Mediterranean flavours. It's got this beautiful warmth to it, a bit sweet, a bit savoury, with that aniseed hit from the fennel that mellows right out when it caramelises. If you've never been a massive fennel fan, trust us on this one, this recipe will change your mind completely. Make it tonight and you'll see exactly why it's earned a permanent spot in our rotation.

Cook: 45 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Box grater
  • Large frying pan with lid

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 large fennel bulbs
  • olive oil
  • 50g plant-based butter
  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 200g smoked tofu
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • ¼ tsp chilli powder
  • 250g basmati rice - and wild
  • 75g sultanas
  • 1 x 400ml can of coconut milk
  • 250g vegetable stock
  • 25g parsley
  • 30g flaked almonds
  • 100g plant-based yoghurt
  • 1 lemon

Method

1

Prep the veg

  • Slice the fennel into chunky wedges
  • Dice the onion
  • Use a box grater to coarsely grate the carrot and tofu
  • Crush the garlic
2

Toast the almonds

  • Heat the frying pan over a low/medium heat and add the almonds, stirring regularly until lightly toasted
  • Transfer to a bowl for later
3

Caramelise the fennel

  • Turn up the heat to medium high and pour in the vegetable oil
  • Add the fennel wedges and cook until golden and caramelised, then flip over and cook the other side
  • Transfer to a plate
4

Cook the base

  • Add a drizzle of olive oil and the butter to melt
  • Cook the onion and carrot until softened
  • Add the tofu, garlic and spices and cook for a few minutes
  • Stir through the rice and sultanas with a generous seasoning of salt and pepper, mixing everything to coat
  • Pour over the vegetable stock and coconut milk
  • Nestle the fennel wedges over the top, cover the pan and bring everything to simmer for 15 minutes
  • Take off the heat, keeping the lid on and leave to steam for another 10 minutes until the rice has cooked
5

Finish and serve

  • Pick the parsley leaves and finely chop
  • Juice the lemon and mix with the yoghurt and seasoning
  • Finish the rice with the parsley and scatter over the almonds
  • Serve alongside the yoghurt

Tips & Variations

  • Don't skip the toasted almonds: They add so much. A little dry toast in the pan for a couple of minutes makes them go nutty and fragrant and they give the whole dish a proper crunch that ties everything together.
  • Swap the tofu: Henry often uses cooked lentils instead when he's got some knocking about in the fridge. They add a lovely earthiness and bulk it out even more.
  • Make it a feast: We find this works really well alongside a simple green salad with lemon dressing or some warm flatbreads. It's hearty enough on its own but really shines as part of a spread.

Why This Works

The trick is really taking your time with the fennel. Don't rush the caramelisation step, let it go low and slow until it's properly golden and soft, because that's where all the flavour lives. Grating the tofu is something we love doing here too, it gives you this lovely texture that almost disappears into the rice while still adding body and protein without anyone even noticing.