A fragrant Rice Pilaf thats right at home on yourholiday feasting tableOR a Middle Eastern meal!
Or try it on the side ofLamborChicken Shawarma,Moroccan Lamb MeatballsorTurkish Koftas!
Give me a flavoured rice thats tasty enough to eat plain, and Im one happy gal.
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Lets face it plain rice is no comparison to a great Rice Pilaf!
Basmati is a pop in of long grain rice the longer the grain, the fluffier the rice.
Its reminiscent of Middle Eastern flavours but also a festive combination.
I adore boththe flavour and colourthat pistachios bring to this seasoned rice.
Almonds and pistachios are also on theme for a Middle.
Eastern style rice pilaf.
For more of atraditional Thanksgiving or Christmas theme, try pecans plus / or almonds.
Walnuts are also great!
Dried Fruit Use anything you like here.
Goji berries would also be great.
Non nut options (allergies) try using sunflower seeds and/or pepitas/pumpkin seeds.
Terrific texture and flavour!
How to make Rice Pilaf
Rice pilaf is straight forward to make.
Toast the nuts to bring out the flavour.
Saute onion and garlic in butter, then add the rice, broth, spices and fruit.
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But here are my tips for how to make thebest rice pilaf every time!
Escaped heat compromises the cooking of the rice;
Rest undisturbed this is themost important stepfor cooking rice.
This is when the rice finishes cooking andbecomes fluffy!
I like preserving the texture of the nuts so I toss them in at the end.
TO WASH OR NOT TO WASH THE RICE??
Theres a lot of literature out there about this topic whether or not to rinse rice before cooking.
If you buy rice in packets from the supermarket, debris shouldnt be a problem.
Ive never experienced it.
Ive noticed that many recipes call fortoo much liquidwhen cooking rice which makes the rice soft and therefore sticky.
I adjust this when I need to factor in a variable such as in this Rice Pilaf.
The dried fruit absorbs some of the liquid so I increase the liquid amount.
And on that note I present to you a fabulous Rice Pilaf, made with fluffy, unwashed rice.
Its littered with plump dried fruit and toasty nuts.
And youre going to adore it!
Nagi x
PS Try the one panBaked Chicken with Cranberry Walnut Rice Pilaffor a meal!
Dozer checking out the surf.
Me checking out the surf lifeguards.
Both with jumpers on it was a bit nippy on Sunday!
