Spiced Chickpea, Carrot, Raisin & Cashew Rice Pilaf

ingredients

225g (8 oz) basmati rice
seeds from 4-5 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick, bruised
10ml (2 tsp) cumin seeds
2 bay leaves, bruised
1 onion
2 carrots
30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
5ml (1 tsp) grated fresh root ginger
5ml (1 tsp) turmeric
5ml (1 tsp) ground coriander
1.25ml (1/4 tsp) cayenne pepper
400g (14 oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
50g (2 oz) raisins
750ml (1 1/4 pints) vegetable stock
30ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice
5ml (1 tsp) salt
50g (2 oz) cashew nuts, toasted
30ml (2 tbsp) chopped fresh coriander
pepper
fresh coriander sprigs, to garnish

directions

1
Wash the rice in a sieve under cold running water until it runs clear; set aside.
2
Dry-fry the whole spices and bay leaves in a small frying pan for about 2 minutes until they start to pop and release their aroma.
3
Peel and finely chop the onion; peel and dice the carrots. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, garlic, ginger, carrots and ground spices and fry for 10 minutes until the vegetables are golden. Add the dry-fried spice mixture to the pan with the rice and stir-fry for 1 minute until all the rice grains are glossy.
4
Add the chick peas, raisins, stock, lemon juice and salt to the pan. Bring to the boil, stir once and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes, then take off the heat and leave undisturbed for 5 minutes.
5
Fork through the cashew nuts and coriander. Check the seasoning and serve at once, garnished with fresh coriander sprigs.

notes

Instead of using canned chickpeas you can soak 200g (7 oz) of dried chickpeas overnight and boil them for about an hour or so until they are tender. Simply follow the rest of the recipe.

Source: Lintu