Pilaf rice dish

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 g basmati rice
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 1 m.-sized carrot(s)
• 2 cloves garlic, more to taste
• 4 tbsp olive oil, or butter
• 2 tbsp vegetable stock powder, possibly also 1 stock cube
• 600 ml water, hot or home-cooked vegetable broth, then without broth powder or stock cubes
• 1 tsp turmeric powder, alternatively curry powder
• 1 tbsp, leveled salt
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1 tbsp almond flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• Ras el Hanout or an Indian spice blend, e.g., Garam Masala

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Rest time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

an oriental rice dish that can be prepared without meat

Finely chop the onions and garlic. Slice or grate the carrot into strips as thin as possible, approximately 3-5 cm long. Melt the olive oil or butter in a sufficiently large and deep pan (at least 28 cm in diameter) and sauté the onions, garlic, and carrots over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the rice to the sautéed vegetables and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it turns a light golden color. If there is too little oil in the pan, add a little more. Dissolve the vegetable stock powder or a stock cube in 600 ml of hot water – alternatively, use 600 ml of fresh stock if you have it. Pour the stock into the pan and reduce the heat slightly so that the stock simmers gently. Mix everything well and cover. Check frequently and stir occasionally; this takes about 10 minutes. Just before all the stock has been absorbed by the rice, stir in the turmeric powder. It’s best to first stir the turmeric or curry powder into a small glass with a little warm water, then add the mixture to the rice and mix well to distribute the yellow color throughout. Taste a few grains of rice every now and then to see if they’re soft enough. Season with salt and pepper. As soon as the rice grains are soft enough to eat, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool off for 5-10 minutes with the lid closed. The cooking process will continue without heat. Afterward, the consistency should be more grainy. To enhance the oriental character, you can optionally use the following spices/ingredients to taste and simply add them during cooking: 1 teaspoon cumin (whole or in powder form), 1 tablespoon raisins, 1 tablespoon flaked almonds, 1 bay leaf (add towards the end and then remove again before eating). If available, the oriental spice blend Ras el-Hanout or an Indian spice blend. Note: In contrast to the normal preparation of rice, this is first lightly toasted and then cooked directly in the pan with the other ingredients, so it absorbs the flavor of the vegetable mixture much better and becomes much more aromatic and intense in taste.