Brown Rice with Fruit & Nuts

Greatest Ever Indian, p. 168

4 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1-inch/2.5-cm piece fresh gingerroot, finely chopped

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp mild or medium curry powder or paste

Scant 1 ½ cups brown rice

3 ¾ cup boiling vegetable stock

2 cups canned chopped tomatoes

Salt and pepper

1 cup no-soak dried apricots or peaches, cut into slivers

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

¾ cup frozen peas

1-2 small, slightly green bananas

1/3-1/2 cup toasted mixed nuts

Happy chopping!

Heat the ghee in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook gently for 3 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, ginger, chili powder, cumin seeds, curry powder, and rice. Cook gently for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the rice is coated in the spiced oil.

This is where your kitchen starts to smell gloriously like an Indian restaurant.

Pour in the boiling stock, stirring to mix. Add the tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer gently, covered, for 40 minutes, or until the rice is almost cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Add the apricots, red bell pepper, and peas to the rice mixture in the skillet. 

Aesthetically pleasing, no less!

Cover and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes without uncovering.

Peel and slice the bananas. Uncover the rice mixture and toss with a fork to mix. Add the toasted nuts and sliced banana and toss lightly.

Transfer the brown rice, fruit, and nuts to a serving dish and serve.

Served with some broccoli. Not the most obvious pairing, but when you're cleaning out your freezer to avoid participating in over-consumption it sure makes sense.

My Rating: 5/5 "For the record, my husband and I both agreed that if it was possible to give this dish five MILLION stars, we would do it. The spice blend is impeccable. The sweet accents from the fruit (and even the peas!) give that savoriness a great counterpoint. I'd eat infinite amounts of it if I could."