Pilaf for a Curry Banquet

This is the rice dish that I served with the Mughlai Chicken for my supper club's "spice grab bag."  This dish complemented the chicken dish wonderfully and also had cardamom (my spice) in it.  The spices really flavored the rice.  I ate my chicken over the rice, with the sauce.  However, this dish is definitely flavorful enough as a stand-alone side.  It is definitely true to the 8 servings and we had a lot of rice left over.  These were the first Nigella Lawson recipes that I have made.  They turned out really tasty and I may need to try out some of her other stuff!

Pilaf for a Curry Banquet
recipe slightly adapted from foodnetwork.com, courtesy of Nigella Lawson, Nigella Feasts

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves
3 cardamom pods, bruised
1 cinnamon stick, broken into 3
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 1/2 cups basmati rice
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions:
Cook the onion in the oil, in a deep saucepan with the cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, and cumin, until the onion is slightly browned and soft. Keep the heat medium to low and stir frequently; this should take about 10 minutes.

Add the rice and move it about in the oily spiced onion until it is slicked and glossy, then pour in the stock and bring the pan to the boil. Cover the pan with a lid and cook over the lowest heat possible for 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat, take the lid off, cover with a tea towel and clamp the lid back on the saucepan. You can leave the rice to rest like this for at least 10 minutes, and up to about 1 hour. Fork the rice through when you are ready to serve it, scattering the toasted sliced almonds and cilantro on top.

Mommy & Daddy Rating: 2 thumbs up!