Rice Pilaf with luxurious Fruit and Nuts – Fragrant Rice Pulao

Rice Pilaf with Luxurious Fruit and Nuts – Kids Favorite

This Rice Pilaf is the perfect dish to dress a dinner table. It’s a kids favorite dish where the sweetness of the raisins and the soft smooth cashews almost melt in the mouth.

If you have ever eaten at an Indian or Middle Eastern restaurant you may have seen savory rice dish with luxurious fruits and nuts. Its very common and also very festive. But the best of all is it’s the kids favorite. Kids love this rice. When ever I have kids come over for dinner they feast on this dish. The sweetness of the raisins and smooth soft cashew nuts just melt in your move with all those aromatic flavors of cinnamon, cardamon, cloves.

Both my kids are fond of rice. Personally I love rice myself. Often the kids will eat this just as it. To them this is a meal on it’s own. No side dish, no chicken nothing. Just the rice with all the lovely fruits and nuts. So exotic. I make this at almost every festive occasion here in the family.

Basmati Rice

Basmati rice is a variety of long and slender grains, very aromatic. It is traditionally from India. The best feature of this rice is that if cooked right, it is soft and fluffy with each grain perfectly separate from each other. That is why it makes a perfect choice for these types of dishes such as this Rice Pilaf with fruit and nuts, Indian Zafrani Pulao, Chicken Biryani.  You will see that I have use this rice in almost all my rice recipes – Quickest Prawn Pulao, Chinese fried rice, chicken pilaf.

RECIPE – Rice Pilaf with Fruit and Nuts

Tools

Open faced pan with cover
Spatula
Measuring cup
Basmati Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Basmati rice or similar
• 50 grams butter
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 cup raisins
• and 1 cup cashew nuts
• One medium onion chopped fine
• 2 large garlic cloves minces
• 1/4 piece ginger grated
• 3 1/2 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
• 2 spring of mint chopped.

Spices

• 2 sticks of Cinnamon
• 3 cardamons whole or 1/4 tsp cardamon powder
• 2 bay leaves whole
• 1 star anise (optional)

Method:

• Clean, rinse and soak rice in water for 30 mins
• Heat oil in a open faced pan.
• Saute the whole spices for a minute.
• Add the cashew nuts and raisins – saute for two minutes
• then add in the onions – saute a minute and put the garlic and ginger.
• Drain the rice and add in the pan. Saute for about 2 to 3 minutes
• Add the 3 /12 cups water and wait for it to come to a boil.
• Place knobs of butter all over the rice.
• Close pan and lower the heat to low.
• Set the timer for 20 minutes.
• When the timer sets off – switch the flame off.
• But do not open the pan. Let the rice sit for 10 more minutes.
• After 10 minutes add the chopped cilantro and mint.

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Recipe card – Rice Pilaf with fruit and nuts

And Viola !  your rice pilaf with fruit and nuts is ready.