Chickpea pilau

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

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
Stew
Spicy
Gluten-free

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