Spiced Rice with Carrots and Nuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 3 tablespoons ghee or oil
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon almond halves
- 1 tablespoon pistachio halves
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 2 large carrots, grated
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mastic
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed chili
Preparation
In a deep pot, place a generous amount of water. Add one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of corn oil. Place the pot on medium heat until the water boils strongly.
Add the rice. Let the rice cook for 7 to 8 minutes until the grains open but do not cook completely. Drain the rice.
In a medium-sized pot with a thick base, place the ghee. Place the pot on medium heat.
Add the pine nuts. Using a slotted spoon, stir the pine nuts until they become light golden. Transfer the pine nuts to a paper towel to drain excess oil. Repeat the step with the almonds, pistachios, and raisins. Place the nuts on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
To the same pot, add the carrots. Stir the carrots until they soften. Do not let the carrots become dry. Add the salt, cardamom, mastic, cumin, black pepper, and chili. Add the rice over the carrots. Reduce the heat to very low. Cover the pot. Let the rice cook for 20 minutes until it steams.
Add the fried nuts to the rice. Using a fork, stir the rice to mix with the nuts, then serve with grilled chicken or meat.
