When visiting my Mama (+Juliana Madan)
for Christmas, she taught me the following quick recipe for a delicious rice pilaf with peas.
Keep prepared the Biryani paste
Blend:
- 1/2 bulb garlic peeled,
- 1" inch ginger peeled,
- 2 green chilies, and
- 1/4 bunch of coriander (cilantro) leaves, cleaned
Note - you can make & store the blended paste in the freezer for reuse in the future (as this helps make the recipe all go very quickly)
Heat oil in a large pot:
- fry an onion till translucent
- add 1 cup cleaned basmati rice
- stir the rice in the oil, so the rice does not stick (3 mins). The rice should be slightly crisp, not DAMP.
- add the biryani paste from above;
- add 2 cloves, 4 pods of cardamom, pinch of star anise, 1 small broken piece of cinnamon, carrots, peas, and whatever is clever
- add 2 cups of BOILING water
- cover till the rice is cooked
Serve:
- add 1/2 a lemon's juice + a little salt to taste
- add fresh cilantro & fresh mint for garnish
- serve with Riata (see a separate recipe for that)
