Persian-Style Basmati Rice Pilaf

Kittencalskitchen's Note:

I like to add in a pinch of cayenne pepper and saffron also but that is optional, this is very good! :)

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion , chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic (optional)
• ½ cup slivered almond
• 1 ½ cups uncooked basmati rice
• ½-¾ cup raisins
• 2 teaspoons turmeric (can use more to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; add in onions and almonds, saute for 6-7 minutes or until the onion are tender and the almonds are golden, adding in the fresh garlic the last 2-3 minutes of sautéing.
2. Stir in rice, raisins, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and broth; bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat.
3. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.
4. Season with black pepper.

Reviews

[Chef de Sucre]

Thanks again for another keeper! I added about 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. The only other slight change that I made was that I added the rice at the same time as the garlic to somewhat toast the rice as well for about 3 minutes before adding the broth, spices and raisins.

[petlover]

Delicious Recipe and esay too. I left out the almonds because I didnt have any. I made this in my rice cooker as follows: 1. I melted 2 Tb of butter & 2 Tb light olive oil in a pan . 2. I sauted the chopped onions until translucent-over medium. 3. I added the chopped garlic and sauted about 1 min more. 4. I added the rice ( well rinsed), spices ( including the pinch or saffron and cayenne) and raisins and mixed well and sauted for another minute ( maybe a bit more) so that the rice/spice/onions/garlic/raisins all mixed together and the rice was sauted also. 5. I poured the mix into the rice cooker and added the chicken stock-I used about 2 3/4 cup of chicken stock-I find that the rice cooker uses less liquid. 6. I let the rice cooker cook in the white rice setting. Thanks KITTENCAL for another great recipe

[Chez Michelle]

This was a wonderful side dish ~ Thank you so much for the recipe! :)