Serves 4
For the rice and lentil part
1 cup basmati rice
50g butter
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1½ tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste
3 large onions
1-2 tins brown lentils
1 cup pistachios or almonds (optional)
1 good handful fresh parsley, chopped (it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t have this)
1 good handful of coriander, chopped (I would say this is far more important than the parsley)
1 cup dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, chopped dried dates, chopped dried apricots etc)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
For the spicy tomato sauce
¼ cup oil (olive preferably but regular cooking oil works too)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp chilli paste
1½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
¼ cup cider vinegar (white wine vinegar also does the trick)
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin of water
sour cream or unsweetened yoghurt to serve, as well as another good garnish with coriander.
Method
- Start by making the rice. Melt the butter in the pan and toast the rice, cinnamon and nutmeg for a couple of minutes. This will help to release the flavour of the spices.
- Add in the dried fruit, salt, black pepper and the chicken stock. Drain the brine from the lentils and stir. Bring the rice to the boil and leave to simmer for 12-14 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Remove from heat, cover with a lid and leave to steam for another 12 minutes. If at the end of the 12 minutes the rice is still a little undercooked, throw in some more water (approx. half a cup) and return to the heat to let that be absorbed.
- To prepare the onions, slice into thin rings. Throw into a small frying pan with a splash of oil and the teaspoon of brown sugar and leave to sauté until they are translucent and beginning to caramelise. Stir these into the rice and lentils once the rice is cooked.
- To make the tomato sauce, sauté the garlic and chilli in the oil for two minutes. Add the spices and cook for a further minute. Add the cider vinegar and leave to boil for another minute or so. Add in the tomatoes and the water. Leave to simmer until the rice is cooked.
- Stir the chopped herbs and the nuts into the rice. Place a couple of spoonfuls of rice in a bowl, top with a ladle of the tomato sauce, sprinkle over the coriander and dollop with sour cream.