Golden spiced pilaf with crispy shallots
- Cassie Best
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Serves 4 - 6
Easy
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 40 mins
plus resting
A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.14 ratingsRate
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Combine crispy shallots, warming spices, crunchy nuts and soft fruits to make this stunning pilaf. Serve alone with yogurt, or alongside veg, meat or fish
Vegetarian
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Ingredients
Nutrition
Units:
MetricUS
-
250g basmati rice
-
25g butter
-
2 tbsp vegetable oil
plus extra for deep-frying
-
1 onion
finely chopped
-
2 garlic cloves
finely chopped
-
1 tsp ground turmeric
-
1 tsp ground cumin
-
1 small cinnamon stick
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8 cardamom pods
-
1 star anise
-
1 lemon
-
600ml hot vegetable or chicken stock
or 1 stock cube mixed with hot water from the kettle
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6 shallots
peeled, halved and thinly sliced
-
50g nuts
of your choice (we used a mixture of cashews, pistachios and flaked almonds)
-
200g natural yogurt
-
large pinch of saffron
-
125g dried fruit
of your choice, such as apricots, cranberries or raisins
-
handful of coriander
leaves picked
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Nutrition: Per serving (6)
- kcal419
- fat20g
- saturates4g
- carbs49g
- sugars17g
- fibre4g
- protein9g
- salt0.7g
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Method
-
step 1
Tip the rice into a saucepan and cover with warm water, then leave to soak for 30 mins.
-
step 2
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat, then drizzle in the oil and fry the onion and garlic for 8-10 mins, stirring until the onion is translucent.
-
step 3
Stir in the ground and whole spices, sizzling them in the butter and oil for 1-2 mins, then drain the rice and add it to the pan. Peel three long strips of zest from the lemon using a vegetable peeler, and drop these into the pan. Stir everything together, pour over the stock and bring to a simmer. Stir again and cover, then continue to simmer for 2 mins more. Turn off the heat and leave to stand, without opening the lid, for 15 mins.
-
step 4
Pour a 2cm depth of oil into a deep pan or wok set over a medium heat and heat to 180C or until a cube of bread browns in 20 seconds. Fry the shallots in two batches, sizzling for 8 mins per batch until golden brown. This will take a while, and they catch quickly, so watch closely to prevent this. Spoon onto a plate lined with kitchen paper using a slotted spoon, then sprinkle with salt and leave to cool slightly.
-
step 5
Toast the nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat for 2-3 mins until golden. Mix the yogurt with the saffron and a pinch of salt in a small serving bowl and set aside.
-
step 6
Uncover the rice and check it’s ready – it should be tender and all the liquid should have been absorbed. If not, cover and leave to stand for another 5 mins. Once cooked, fluff up the grains using a fork, and stir through the nuts and dried fruit. Tip out onto a serving platter, removing the whole spices and lemon peel as you do. Scatter over the crispy shallots and the coriander leaves, then serve with the saffron yogurt on the side.
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A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.14 ratings
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