Spiced Pilaf

Serves : 4 people

Preparation : 15 minutes

Cooking : 30 minutes

Wait : 30 minutes

Ingredients

7.9 oz of Basmati rice
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
1 onion small
1 pod of garlic
1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
1 tbsp of sesame seeds
2 teaspoons of turmeric powder
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
4 seeds of cardamom
5 grains of black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cloves
1.9 cup of chicken broth
1 tbsp of almond flour
quelques strands of fresh cilantro

Instructions

Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear.
Soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes.

Peel, remove the root end, and finely chop the onion.
Crush the garlic clove, then peel and remove the root end.
Prepare the chicken broth according to the package directions.

In a Dutch oven or saucepan, heat the oil and add the onion and garlic.
Sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the spices and herbs: fennel seeds, sesame seeds, turmeric, cumin, cloves, cardamom, pepper, and salt.
Sauté for about one minute.

Drain the rice thoroughly.
Add the rice to the pot and sauté for 3–4 minutes.

The Chef’s Tip

The rice should become slightly translucent but not brown.

Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

The Chef’s Tip

Do not stir or uncover the rice at any point during cooking. By the end of cooking, all the liquid should have been absorbed.

Remove from heat and let the rice rest for 2 to 3 minutes.
Fluff the rice with a fork, then stir in the chopped almonds.

Notes

For a complete vegetarian meal, you can add a variety of vegetables to this Indian pilaf:

a small cauliflower, cut into florets, first sautéed with the spices and then cooked along with the rice,
mushroom and pea pilaf: add a tomato and 50g of button mushrooms at the same time as the broth, and 75g of peas after 15 minutes of cooking
for a meat-based variation: add chorizo or another type of sausage when sautéing the rice