2 cups basmati rice, washed
3 medium russet potatoes
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, segmented (or a handful of cherries)
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Spices
2 teaspoons cumin
4 peppercorns
4 cloves
4 green cardamoms
2 black cardamoms
2 bay leaves
2 sticks cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cm ginger, crushed
Directions
Peel potatoes and cut into 2-3 cm cubes. Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan and fry potato cubes. Once browned (but not cooked through), remove potatoes and set aside. By frying them first they’ll maintain their shape and not turn into mashed potatoes among the other ingredients.
In the same oil as you fried the potatoes, add in all the whole spices and gently fry for 2 minutes. Add in onions and fry until they start to brown.
Then add the washed basmati rice. Fry for a little. If the onions have absorbed all the oil, you can add a little more. Stir in ground spices, and mix to combine. Make sure ground spices don’t clump in one area, they should be evenly spread around the dish. Add in the peas and stir. And finally, add the potatoes back in, along with diced tomatoes. Pour in 3.5 cups of cold water and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer, add in salt to taste, give one final good stir to make sure nothing’s sticking to the pan and cover. Leave it covered for 12 mins – don’t be tempted to touch it. Once the lid is taken off, any steam will escape, halting the cooking process.
After 12 mins, take a peek. It should be moist, but not soaking wet. If there’s too much moisture, return to medium heat with the lid off to reduce the amount of liquid.
Serve and enjoy, but be wary of the whole spices! Try to pick them out before, or pay attention while eating.
optional: serve with plain yoghurt
Nutrition
makes 4 servings
518 calories | 4g fat | 108g carbs | 14g protein