Description
A rice pilaf that uses Indian flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 3 cardamom pods
- 3 cloves
- 1” cinnamon stick
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 10 curry leaves
- 2 Thai green chilies, sliced lengthwise
- 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 onion, cut in half, sliced thinly into half moons, then cut into 1/4s
- 1 ½ cups peeled diced carrots (very small cubes)
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 3/4 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp ghee
- Neutral oil
- Salt
For topping:
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- Salt
Instructions
- Rinse the rice 2- 3 times or until the water runs clear. Cover the rice with water and let it soak for 20 minutes. Once ready to cook, drain the water and use your preferred method for cooking the rice, whether that’s stovetop or rice cooker. Keep in mind the ration of rice to water should be 1 cup rice to 1.5 cups water.
- Prepare the topping, by heating the ghee in a small skillet. Once the ghee melts, saute the sliced onions with a pinch of salt, until they become golden and caramelized. Add the cashews and raisins and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until the raisins plump up. Set this aside to use as the topping for the rice.
- In a large flat bottomed pan, pour enough oil to lightly coat the bottom. Once the oil is heated, place in the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds slow down popping, add the cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, and cumin seeds. After about 15 seconds add the curry leaves and green chilies. Then add the minced garlic with the onions and a little salt. Saute until the onions become translucent.
- When onions reach that stage, place in the diced carrots along with the turmeric and coriander powder. Stir to combine, before adding the lemon juice. Cover and let cook on medium low heat for about 3 minutes. Uncover and stir, adding salt if needed. Cover again and continue cooking until carrots are cooked through.
- When carrots are sufficiently cooked, add the cooled basmati rice, gently folding all the ingredients together. Adjust seasoning as needed. Top with the ghee and finish by adding the browned onion, cashew, and raisin mixture, before serving.