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    Home » Recipes

    30th December 2021 Recipes

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    Jewelled Rice or Pilaf

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    This Jewelled Rice or Pilaf is fragrant, lightly spiced and makes a gorgeous side dish for middle eastern dishes, festive gatherings or celebratory dinners.

    Jewelled Rice in a pot with carrots, flaked almonds and sultanas on top

    Jewelled Rice or Pilaf - A Recipe you can easily adapt

    The great thing about this recipe is that this recipe is very easily adaptable to your tastes. I make it in a number of ways as can be seen by the pictures below.

    In the versions below, I added Pomegranate kernals and fried onions to the rice and skipped the Carrots.

    Jewelled Rice or Pilaf with a roast chicken on top

     

    Jewelled rice with chicken skewers in tray to side

    What is Jewelled Rice or Pilaf?

    In this recipe, fluffy rice is lightly spiced with cumin, cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon and then tossed with sultanas/raisins and nuts.

    This dish is known as jewelled rice because of it's appearance. It is vibrant and glistens with coloured nuts and dry fruits.

    I like to top it with Fried Onions and Garlic too.

    Any flavoured rice always tastes so much better then plain old boring rice and I love all kinds of flavours added to mine such as in this Peri Peri Rice recipe or this Jeera Rice Recipe.

    What goes in Jewelled Rice or Pilaf

    The ingredients you need to make this recipe are:

    Best rice to use – I always use basmati rice . It is the best for fluffy rice with seperate grains. Basmati is a long grain rice. It also has a natural fragrance that lends a subtle flavour to rice dishes. 

    Ghee/Butter or Oil – All 3 work wonderfully well but Ghee adds the best flavour.

    Base – Sautéing garlic and onion gives a lovely nutty flavour to the rice.

    Spices – I’ve used a combination of cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom and cumin in this Rice. 

    Stock OR water – For extra flavour, I would sugeest using chicken stock but water is great too. 

    Nuts – Almonds, Pistachios or Cashews can be used here.  Or a combination of all 3! You can also use toasted seeds instead.

    Dried Fruit – Use anything you like here. I like Sultanas or Raisins. Apricots, Barberries and Cranberries also work well.

    Fried Onions - To add to the top along with Fried Garlic.

    How to make Jewelled Rice

    Full instructions and printable recipe card are at the bottom of the page:

    This recipe is straight forward to make.

    Lightly toast the nuts to bring out the flavour.

    Sauté  Spices in Ghee/ Oil. Add onion and garlic, then add the rice, stock and fruit.

    Onion and Spices frying in Ghee and Oil in pot

    Add Saffron.

    Fry Garlic in Oil.

    Once cooked, top with Fried Onions, Carrots, Almonds and Fried Garlic.

    Jewelled Rice in a pot with carrots, flaked almonds and sultanas on top

    Tips to make the best Jewelled Rice

    Liquid to Rice Ratio: I always add double the Water to Rice and it always yields perfectly fluffy Rice.

    Leave the Rice to do it's thing - Once the rice goes in, you do not need to open that lid. This yields the best results. After cooking has finished, leave it covered and let it rest.

    Nuts - I add these after cooking because I prefer the flavour.

    Storage

    Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the Microwave.

    What to serve with:

    This recipe pairs well with a number of dishes especially protein rich dishes, such as:

    Indian Chicken Kebabs

    Tandoori Chicken Kebab

    Shish Tawook

    Tender Lamb Leg

    Roast Chicken

    **if you make this recipe, please rate/comment below. we love to hear from you and seeing your creations makes our day – safira

    Jewelled Rice in a pot with carrots, flaked almonds and sultanas on top
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    Print

    Jewelled Rice or Pilaf

    This Jewelled Rice or Pilaf is fragrant, lightly spiced and makes a gorgeous side dish for middle eastern dishes, festive gatherings or celebratory dinners.

    Course Sides
    Cuisine Middle Eastern
    Keyword Chicken and Rice, Jewelled Rice, Pilaf, Spiced Rice
    Prep Time 30 minutes
    Cook Time 50 minutes
    Rice Rest 15 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 587 kcal
    Author Safira

    Ingredients

    • 250 g Rice
    • 3 tbsp Flaked Almonds
    • 1 tbsp Ghee Or use Veg Oil
    • 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
    • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
    • 1 Cinnamon Stick
    • 3 Cardamom Pods lighly bashed open
    • 1 Bay Leaf
    • 1 large Onion Diced
    • 2 cloves Garlic Crushed
    • 500 ml Chicken Stock or Veg
    • 75 g Sultanas
    • Pinch Saffron Optional, Soaked in a little boiling water

    Topping

    • 3 tbsp Oil Vegetable
    • 3 cloves Garlic finely sliced
    • 4 tbsp Fried Onions
    • 1/2 small Carrot Peeled then shredded, Optional

    Instructions

    1. Soak rice for 30 minutes. Then rinse in a sieve under a cold tap until the water runs clear.

    2. Lightly toast flaked almonds in a dry pan over medium heat until golden. Remove and set aside.

    3. Melt Ghee (if using) in a large pan over medium heat then add Oil. Add Cumin Seeds, Cinnamon Stick, Cardamom Pods and a Bay Leaf. Cook till fragrant - 1 minute.

    4. Add Onion and saute until golden brown. (About 10 minutes). Add Garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

    5. Add Rice and stir to coat.

    6. Add Stock, Sultanas and Saffron if using.

    7. Bring to simmer then immediately turn heat down to medium low and place a lid on the pot. Cook for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Then remove pot from the stove (still covered) and leave, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Remove lid, use fork to fluff rice.

    8. Add Oil to a pan, once hot and add Garlic. Fry until lightly golden.

    9. Add Rice to a platter and top with fried Garlic, fried Onions, Flaked Almonds and Carrots.

    Nutrition Facts
    Jewelled Rice or Pilaf
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 587 Calories from Fat 234
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 26g40%
    Saturated Fat 5g31%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 6g
    Monounsaturated Fat 12g
    Cholesterol 13mg4%
    Sodium 224mg10%
    Potassium 529mg15%
    Carbohydrates 80g27%
    Fiber 4g17%
    Sugar 15g17%
    Protein 11g22%
    Vitamin A 1065IU21%
    Vitamin C 6mg7%
    Calcium 87mg9%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

     

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    hey...I’m safira! I share accessible Global Recipes as well as Baking recipes for home cooks. One of my passions is to teach home cooks to become more confident in the kitchen and this comes with time and experience.

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