Such a quick and easy dish to prepare, you won’t go back to plain rice again! The spices are sweet and fragrant and the basmati rice has a beautiful texture. This dish can be served on its own but is delicious with a whole roasted cauliflower with a yellow curry sauce.
INGREDIENTS
1.5 cups brown basmati rice
1 small red onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cinnamon, ground
½ tsp cumin, ground
1 star anise
6 cardamom pods, whole
4 cloves, whole
½ tsp chili flakes
pinch saffron
¼ cup organic currants
3 cups homemade vegetable stock
Garnishes
½ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
½ cup coriander leaves
½ cup mint leaves
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
In a Dutch oven or large casserole dish, sauté the onions and garlic over a medium heat. Deglaze with a splash of water if the onions begin to caramelise.
Add the spices to the onion mixture. Stir until well combined and heat until the spices become fragrant but don’t let them burn.
Stir the rice through the spices. Add the currants and vegetable stock. Cover, place in the oven and cook on low for 20 minutes (can also be cooked on a stove top). Check that the rice is cooked, turn off, cover and leave for a few minutes.
Fluff up the rice with a fork and transfer to a large serving dish. Top with chopped pistachios, coriander and mint leaves.
Serves 6 as a side
Zero waste tips:
Reserve all of the onion and garlic skins to use in a vegetable stock. Store them in the freezer until you have enough to use.
Buy spices in bulk at Adelaide's Finest Supermarkets spice bars and reuse your paper bags for zero waste shopping (or bring your own jars to fill)!