This is a nutritious, elegant pilaf with a delicious flavor. The rice is fried with spices, a sweetener and tomatoes. It is then cooked with chopped fresh spinach and, when it is done, golden fried nuts and panir cheese cubes are folded in. Add a sprinkle of lemon juice and listen to the exclamations of delight when you serve this richly satisfying dish. If fresh spinach is not available, you can use frozen chopped spinach. For a special brunch or luncheon, try this rice with Mung Dal Balls in Herbed Yogurt and Jicama Salad with Snow Peas, Avocado and Watercress .
Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30–40 minutes
Serves: 5 or 6
• 1 cup (95 g) basmati or other long-grain white rice
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) ghee or vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup (45 g) raw cashew bits or halves
• fresh panir cheese ( page 313 ) made from 4 cups (1 liter) milk, cut into ⅓-inch (1 cm) cubes (4 ounces/115 g)
• 1½ teaspoons (7 ml) cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) black mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) sugar or equivalent sweetener
• 2 medium-sized firm ripe tomatoes, diced
• ¾ teaspoon (3.5 cm) turmeric
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground coriander ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) cayenne pepper or paprika (or as desired) 1¾–2 cups (420–480 ml) water
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
• 8 ounces (230 g) fresh spinach, washed, trimmed, patted dry and coarsely chopped, or ½ of a 10-ounce (285 g) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed at room temperature .
• 1½ teaspoons (7 ml) lemon juice
• 5 or 6 lemon or lime wedges or twists for garnishing
1. If basmati rice is used, clean, wash, soak and drain as explained on this blog .
2. Heat the ghee or oil in a 2–3-quart/liter heavy nonstick saucepan over moderately low heat until hot. Drop in the cashews and stir-fry until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Raise the heat to moderate and add the panir cheese cubes. Fry, gently turning the cubes, for 5–8 minutes or until golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.
3. Add the cumin seeds, black mustard seeds and sweetener. Fry until the sweetener caramelizes and turns a rich reddish-brown. Immediately add the tomatoes to stop the fried seasonings from burning. Follow with the turmeric, coriander, nutmeg, cayenne or paprika and rice. Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes.
4. Pour in the water and salt. Quickly bring to a full boil. Stir in the fresh spinach. Reduce the heat to very low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and gently cook without stirring for 20–25 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed and the rice is tender and fluffy. If you are using defrosted frozen chopped spinach, press it between your palms to remove excess water and add it after the rice has cooked for 10–15 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for 5 minutes to allow the fragile grains to firm up. Gently fold in the fried nuts, panir cheese cubes and lemon juice. Garnish each serving with a wedge or twist of lemon or lime.
