4-6 Servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 clove garlic, minced (or more to taste)
2 cups brown rice, rinsed and drained
4 cups cold water
1 cup cooked chickpeas (rinse, if canned)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced celery
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
Whole or chopped roasted cashews, for garnish
Directions:
* Heat the oil in a heavy saute pan over medium low heat. Add the shallots, garlic, carrot and celery for 2-5 minutes to soften. Stir in the rice and spices and stir another 2-3 minutes.
* Add all of the remaining ingredients except the green peas and cashews into the pan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, stir and cover. Simmer for 45-50 minutes and the water absorbed and rice tender.
* Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for ten minutes. Add the peas and transfer to a server bowl or plates. Garnish with cashews.
Notes:
* I didn't follow the directions at all. I used the baked brown rice recipe, also on this blog, and improvised.
* I used basmati rice, canned chickpeas, Thompson raisins which seemed nicer than Sunshine.
* I put oil in a large saute pan and cooked the garlic, shallots, celery and carrots over low heat at the time recommended. Then I added the chickpeas and raisins and spices, followed by the water which I let come to a low boil.
* Once the water was heated, I poured all of this into a 9 x 13 pyrex glass casserole, sealed with heavy duty aluminum foil and baked for about an hour.
* I mistakenly added the peas during the cooking process, which was fine, but it blanched the bright green color out. I would add them lightly sauteed at the end in the future.
* I bought raw cashews at Whole Foods, about a cup, and I roasted them in an iron skillet with a tiny bit of coconut oil which has a higher cook point. Given the size of the dish, and how people want to eat the cashews while they sit roasted, I would seriously consider putting two cups of cashews out to top the dish.
