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Rice is a terrific accompaniment to many meals.
My first encounter with rice was the kind that came out of a box that was “instant” and simply had to be re-constituted. I clearly remember the day I was served a bowl properly steamed Chinese rice.
That was the beginning of my rice journey that included discovering Japanese sushi rice, Thai jasmine rice and then Indian basmati. There are so many other varieties that I’ve enjoyed over the years.
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I always recommend basmati rice to people who find cooking rice a challenge. It’s a very aromatic, long-grain rice that always produces a lovely fluffy end product.
The recipe below is for a simple dish called Chana Pulao that includes chickpeas. I used canned chickpeas to save time.
You can serve this with a bowl of refreshing cucumber raita or have it as a side dish to accompany a grilled meat or fish.
Rice and Chickpeas
(Serves 6)
2 tbsp. (15 ml) ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil
1 large onion, cut in half and sliced thinly
1 tbsp. (15 ml) minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
*½ small green chili, minced
1 tsp. (5 ml) cumin seeds
3 green cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
2 inch (5 cm) piece of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 cup (250 ml) of rinsed basmati rice
1-½ cups (300 ml) water
1-1/4 tsp. (6 ml) salt
1 tsp. garam masala
½ tsp. ground turmeric
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1/3 cup (75 ml) chopped cilantro
Lemon wedges for accompaniment (optional)
1. Heat vegetable oil in a sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until starting to turn light golden.
2. Stir in ginger, garlic, chili, cumin seed, cardamom pods, cloves cinnamon and bay leaf and cook stirring constantly for a minute.
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3. Add rice, water, salt, garam masala and turmeric.
4. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cover.
5. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until rice is tender and water has been absorbed.
6. Stir in chickpeas and half of the cilantro. Warm through.
7. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with remaining cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.
*Note if you don’t have a green chili you can use red pepper flakes to taste.
For a pop of colour I sometimes add some quartered cherry tomatoes on top before serving.
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