This is a very delicate rice and vegetable dish with lively colors and textures. The potato, peppers, zucchini, carrots and green beans must be fresh, but the green peas can be frozen. The mild seasoning allows the rich flavor of the vegetables to be the main feature of the dish. Golden-brown almonds are folded into the rice before serving, adding even more texture and flair to an already lovely dish. This wonderful rice may be eaten with any soup and salad, or with a Vedic menu. For lunch, try it with Deep-Fried Chickpea-Flour Pearls in Creamy Yogurt, Mung Dal Purée with Sliced White Radishes and Sweet ‘n’ Sour Eggplant . At dinner, you could add Potato Pakora with Dried Pomegranate Seeds and a chutney . From the pastry corner, you could add Flaky Pastry Diamonds with Fennel Milk Glaze or the elegant Super-Flaky Pastry Swirls with Cardamom Glaze .
Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30–40 minutes
Serves: 8
• 1 cup (95 g) basmati or other long-grain white rice
• 5 tablespoons (75 ml) ghee or vegetable oil
• ½ cup (55 g) slivered or sliced almonds
• ⅛ teaspoon (0.5 ml) salt for the almonds
• 1 medium-sized all-purpose potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch (1.5 cm) dice
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) cumin seeds
• 1 dried red chili or ½ teaspoon (2 ml) crushed dried red chili (or as desired)
• ½ green or red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• ½ cup (120 ml) zucchini cut into ½-inch (1.5 cm) dice
• 2–2¼ cups (480–530 ml) water
• ¼ cup (25 g) ground almonds
• 1½ teaspoons (7 ml) salt for the rice
• ½ teaspoon (2 ml) garam masala or ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) each ground nutmeg and ground cloves
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) fresh young carrots, scraped and thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) fresh green beans, washed and sliced into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) shelled fresh green peas or frozen baby peas, defrosted
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) butter or ghee (optional)
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) minced fresh parsley or coarsely chopped coriander leaves
1. If basmati rice is used, clean, wash, soak and drain as explained earlier on our blog.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of ghee or oil in a 2-quart/liter nonstick saucepan over moderately low to moderate heat. Slowly fry the almonds until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain. Lightly salt.
3. Raise the heat to moderately high and add 1 more tablespoon (15 ml) of ghee or oil. Drop in the potato and stir-fry until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of ghee or oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Drop in the cumin seeds and red chili. Fry until brown. Then stir in the bell pepper, zucchini and rice. Fry for about 2 minutes.
5. Add the water, ground almonds, salt and garam masala or nutmeg and cloves. Bring to a full boil over high heat. Add the carrots and green beans. If using fresh peas, add them now. Immediately reduce the heat to very low. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and gently simmer without stirring for 20–25 minutes or until the rice is fluffy, the vegetables are tender-crisp and all of the liquid has been absorbed. If using frozen peas, defrost them in a strainer under hot running water while the rice is cooking, and after the rice has cooked for 15 minutes remove the lid and quickly sprinkle them on top. Replace the cover and let the rice finish as described above.
6. Turn the heat off and let the rice sit, covered, for 5 minutes to allow the fragile grains to firm up. Remove the cover and drop the fried almonds and potatoes into the rice. Fluff the rice and vegetables gently with a fork to mix evenly. Serve piping hot. An additional tablespoon (15 ml) of butter or ghee may be drizzled over the surface before serving. Garnish each serving with parsley or coriander.
