This is a different, easy side dish or main course.
Ingredients:
2 cups rice, rinsed to help with stickiness
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon ginger, powdered or fresh (minced)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, optional
1 teaspoon ground turmeric, optional (creates beautiful color)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala, optional
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne, optional
1 - 2 bay leaves, optional
1 - 1 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (to taste)
3 1/2 cups water, or broth
2 cups frozen peas
Directions:
Put the rice in a colander/strainer and rinse it in the sink under cold water for a minute or two, until the water running out of the bottom of the colander is mostly clear. This will remove any excess starch from the rice so the grains won’t stick together while cooking. Leave in the sink to drain.
Add butter, oil, and onion to a large, heavy bottom sauce pan and set it over medium heat. Cook the onion on medium low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until it’s soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. While the onion cooks, add garlic, ginger and all the spices except the bay leaves to a small bowl and stir to combine. Add to the pan with the softened onion and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 more minutes. Add the bay leaves along with the water or broth. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low, and let simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the frozen peas. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes to cook the peas. Remove the bay leaves and serve.
The Gilpin Food Pantry has many of the ingredients, including spices, available on Thursdays from 1:30-3:45 at 101 Norton Drive.
