Basmati and Wild Rice with Chickpeas, Currants and Herbs

Admittedly, this recipe has a lot of steps, but the cooking itself is fairly straightforward and the results are out of this world! I also discovered it goes great with Roasted Red Cabbage. You can sub it in for the fried onions or go for the gusto and include both. Recently we had friends over for dinner. I made sure to double the recipe so I could have leftovers the next day! 

Basmati & Wild Rice with Chickpeas, Currants & Herbs adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi 
Serves 6

Place in a medium sauce pan with a tightly fitting lid:
1/3 cup wild rice (50g)

2 cups water

Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to simmer for about 30-35 minutes, or until the rice is cooked but still quite firm. Set a sieve over a bowl and drain wild rice, reserving any remaining cooking liquid for the next step. Place drained wild rice in a large serving bowl.

Wipe dry the same medium saucepan and heat over high heat:
1 tbs olive oil

Add to saucepan:
2 1/4 cup basmati rice (220g)
1/4 tsp salt

Stir the rice so it warms up. Measure out the reserved cooking liquid, adding water if needed for a total of 1 1/2 cups. Carefully add to the basmati; it may spit and splatter a bit. Decrease the heat to very low, cover the pan with the lid and leave to cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid and cover pan with a clean tea towel. Put the lid back on the pan and let sit for 10 minutes.

While the basmati is cooking, heat in a small skillet over high heat:

1 1/2 tbs olive oil

Add:
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp curry powder

Wait for a few seconds, then quickly add:
15.5 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 teaspoon salt 

Stir for a minute or two just until chickpeas are warmed through. Add to the wild rice.

Next, we're going to fry the onions. In a medium mixing bowl, use your hands to mix together:
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Wipe clean the skillet in which you fried the garbanzo beans. Pour in:
sunflower or canola oil to a depth of 1/2"

Place over high heat and test for readiness by dropping in a piece of onion. If it sizzles, then it's ready to go. Take a handful of onion and carefully place in oil. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Repeat in batches with the remaining floured onion slices. You'll likely need to add additional oil between batches to maintain a depth of 1/2".

Add the basmati and fried onions to the serving bowl along with:

2/3 cups (100 g) currants or dried cranberries 

1/2 cup of chopped fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill, mint)

Toss gently to combine. Season to taste with:

Salt and pepper

Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts!

Delivered by FeedBurner