Chickpea pilau

Name: Chickpea pilau
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1 large onion, finely sliced; 15 ml/1 tbsp finely shredded fresh mint; 30 ml/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro); raita, to serve; 225 g/8 oz/1 cup basmati rice; 50 g/2 oz/¼ cup ghee or unsalted butter; 2.5 cm/1 in piece cinnamon stick; 6 green cardamom pods, bruised; 6 cloves; 10–12 black peppercorns; 5 ml/1 tsp ground coriander; 2.5 ml/½ tsp ground cumin; 2.5 ml/½ tsp chilli powder; 5 ml/1 tsp salt, or to taste; 2.5 ml/½ tsp ground turmeric; 400 g/14 oz/large can chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 2 tomatoes, chopped

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Complete Indian Regional Cookbook

By Mridula Baljekar

Published 2017

About

Basmati rice cooks to perfect, separate, fluffy grains and is considered by many to be the finest rice. In this pilau, Kabooli, the rice is subtly spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and combined with nutty chickpeas, fresh coriander and mint. Serve with a raita or a vegetable curry for a healthy meal.

Ingredients

225 g/8 oz/1 cup basmati rice
50

Asia
India
Main course
Gluten-free
Spicy

Method

Wash the rice in several changes of water. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with more cold water and leave to soak for about 20 minutes. Drain.
Melt the ghee or butter in a heavy frying pan over a low-medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 6 minutes, until well browned, stirring frequently. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving as much oil