Pilaf with Shredded Greens and Nuts (Vegan)

[Guest guest]

Here's a household favourite. If you use the microwave for your vegetable,

then you need only the one pot on the stove, saving heat in the kitchen these

summer days.

 

PILAF WITH SHREDDED GREENS AND NUTS (VEGAN)

 

2 Tbsp oil (or as little as you can get away with)

1 cup rice (your choice, but basmati would be traditional)

5 dried mushrooms, soaked and chopped (stems removed), liquid reserved

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp grated ginger root

1 Thai green chillie, finely chopped

1 large carrot, grated

1 cinnamon stick, broken

5 whole cloves

5 whole cardamom pods, slightly crushed to crack pod

1/2 tsp saffron strands

1 cup vegetable stock plus soaking liquid from mushrooms

Water as needed to make up the quantity for cooking rice

5 or 6 cups fresh greens (spinach,silverbeat, kale or the like)

1/2 cup nuts (walnuts, pistachios, almonds)

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro/coriander leaves and sprigs for garnish

salt and pepper as needed

 

Put oil in pan for cooking rice and add the onion, cooking over medium heat

until translucent, then add the garlic, ginger root, chillie, carrot, and

spices.

(That should be all ingredients except for the chopped cilantro and nuts and

the liquid for cooking the rice and the rice itself.) Stir for a minute then add

the

rice, continuing to stir until the grains go translucent and then start to go

opaque - but do not allow to brown. Add the vegetable stock and enough

additional water to cook the rice of your choice by the evaporation method

(chinese style - no water remaining in pot at end of cooking). Raise heat to

high and bring to the boil then turn heat down very very low and cover for as

much time as needed according to your chosen rice (around 15 minutes for

white Basmati, 20 minutes for ordinary long-grain white rice, 45 for brown

rice). Don't peek until the time is up ;=)

 

Meanwhile, wash greens, removing long stems, and set the leaves to cook in

a large pan - such as a dutch oven or stewpot - in as little water as possible

and cook until just tender and then set aside. You may also do them in the

microwave for

NOTE: if you are using very tender greens you may wish to do this in the last

few minutes of the rice cooking time.

 

When rice has cooked, fluff with a fork and replace lid and leave off heat for 5

minutes. Use this time to drain the greens and chop them coarsely. Toss the

rice and greens together with the chopped cilantro and most of the nuts,

adjust seasoning, decorate with sprigs of cilantro and the rest of the nuts and

serve on a large platter to accompany other Indian dishes of your choice (or to

have alone as a lighter meal).

 

GreenFury/Pat's comments:

This looks and smells magnificent - and it is absolutely delicious! We silver

beet or spinach, mostly, and prefer pistachios. For special occasions I use

white basmati rice and confess it is the nicer version. For health reasons,

however, we tend to use long grain brown rice. Your choice ;=)