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Recently, my blogger friend, Elly, did a five question interview with me. One of the questions she asked was, “What would your husband or kids say is their favorite thing you make?”  It was then that I realized that I hadn’t posted one of my hubs’ favorite recipes yet!  Whaaaa?  How did that happen?  Hubs loves….no…*loves*  Middle Eastern food, and one of the things he asks for fairly frequently is this rice.  It is such a simple preparation, but so incredibly tasty.  You can change up the nuts, add dates, lamb or whatever else to suit your own tastes, but this is the basic version of the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups basmati rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, minced
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin (for gluten free, as always be sure all of your spices are certified gf)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup nuts (pistachios, cashews, slivered almonds), roughly chopped
salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro (to garnish)
sumac to garnish

Wash rice in a sieve under cold running water until water runs clear.
Place rice in a bowl with fresh cold water, and allow to rest 30 minutes.
Drain well.
Heat oil in a larger sautee pan, and lightly sautee the onion and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the rice, cumin, cumin seeds, coriander, cardamom and bay leaf.
Toss rice to coat well with the seasonings, and lightly sautee 2 minutes.
Add broth, and season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low.
Allow to cook 10 minutes. (Do not lift lid.)
Remove from heat and allow to sit 5 minutes before lifting lid.
Fluff rice with a fork, then add nuts and cilantro and toss to combine.
Garnish with cilantro and sprinkle with sumac.

Tags: gluten free, middle eastern, recipes, rice, vegetarian // 7 Comments »