Monday, March 11, 2013

Rice with dill and good things

So I warned you that my bunch of dill might be making a reappearance. And here it is. I'm pleased to say that I have now conquered it! The sticking-it-in-a-mug-of-water-in-the-fridge trick worked really well, meaning that it was still perfectly useable, well over a week after I bought it.

I was pleased with this dish - healthy, filling and economical. And pretty damn tasty too. The garlic yogurt adds another layer of flavour as well as temperature and texture contrasts, though I did eat some of the leftovers for lunch without any yogurt, and that was still good.


You could vary the vegetables according to what is available or what you fancy. Broad beans (frozen or fresh) would certainly work well, but I couldn't find any at the time.

Serves 3-4

2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp vegetable oil
250g basmati rice (I used brown basmati)
200g frozen peas
100g green beans (frozen will do) cut into pieces an inch or two in length
Broccoli, spinach or broad beans, as you wish, cut into bite-size pieces
Small bunch dill, chopped
1 vegetable stock cube
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods, split and crushed with a pestle and mortar

200g natural yogurt
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the onions. Cook, stirring, until starting to turn golden. Add the cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves, and cook for a further minute. Add the rice, with about 600ml of boiling water.

Cook for 10 minutes or so (more if you are using brown basmati) or until the the rice is mostly cooked but still chalky in the middle. Keep an eye on it while it is cooking and add a little more water if the rice seems in danger of sticking. Add the vegetables. (If you are using larger pieces of vegetables, such as broccoli, add them a bit earlier than the other vegetables so they have more time to cook).

Stir in most of the chopped dill, keeping a bit back to sprinkle over the dish when you serve. Mix the garlic with the yogurt and either spoon some over each portion or serve in a separate bowl, as you prefer.

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