Tuesday 9 June 2009

Brown Rice and Spinach Pilaf

Eggs are my new favourite thing. Especially poached eggs, nestled atop a bowl of rice. I like to break open the yolk and let the insides trickle down. Recently it's been a stir fry, full of garlic, ginger and chilli and topped with plenty of toasted cashews. I came across this simple comforting bowl in Waitrose Food Illustrated and couldn't resist. Delicately spiced with cumin, cinnamon and cardamon, with plenty of spinach stirred through at the last minute and topped with toasted pine nuts.

Originally intended to be bulghar wheat pilaf, I reached into the grain drawer only to find I'd used all my bulghar wheat already. So brown rice it was, a little disappointing, only in the sense that brown rice takes about 3 times as long to cook and we were impatient for our dinner. Either grain would work well as they each lend a certian nuttiness to the end result.

Ingredients

serves 4
25g butter
2 garlic cloves , crushed
1 large onion , finely chopped
4 cardamom pods , bruised
1tsp cumin
1tsp cinnamon
250g brown basmati rice
500ml hot, vegetable stock
200g spinach, finely chopped
50g pine nuts
4 eggs, poached

  • Heat a frying pan (that has a lid), as you do so, toast the pine nuts and remove.
  • Add the butter and a little oil. Once bubbling add the onions and garlic and fry for 5-10mins until brown.
  • Add the spices and cook for a few more minutes until they begin to smell delicious.
  • Tip in the rice and stir well. Pour in the hot stock and bring to the boil.
  • Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 20-30mins until the rice is cooked, adding more water if necessary.
  • Stir through the spinach, cover and leave to sit for a few minutes until the spinach is wilted. Season well and stirin the pine nuts.
  • Serve topped with a poached egg.

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