Mushroom Pilau Rice

I had an epiphany about pilau rice recently that has changed the way I look at aging veg in the fridge. It came after making Chetna Makan’s incredible one pot roast chicken and pulao rice. I had made pilau in the past and it was always so much more satisfying than plain rice but I had convinced myself it was too much extra work and it fell by the kitchen wayside. Then one night we got a curry and ordered mushroom rice instead of steamed rice. I decided that night that a few extra steps with rice was worth it because the payoff is so much higher.

What I’m going to say next does not adhere to tradition in any way but I stand by it. Once you know how to make one pilau, you know how to make an infinite number of pilaus. It is one of the easiest, and tastiest, ways to save veg in the fridge that you might otherwise throw away. As with a lot of food saving formula recipes like flatbread, pasta, and various green sauces just knowing the process of making pilau rice gives you options when you’re looking in the fridge.

In general, you’re going to take some aromatics and cook them with some hard spices, then add some veg to cook it if it needs cooking, add to that some soft and ground spices for flavor then top it off with rice and water or stock and let it become a super easy, incredible dinner. When it’s finished, and if you have them available to you, you can garnish with some soft herbs and spring onions. Maybe even some nuts? Add in some leftover cooked meat? You get the idea. The options are wide open.

Once you start looking at recipes as sketched out maps you follow but populate with your own details there is no reason to waste much because you can see how just about anything can be put to use. In this case it was mushrooms in what I now think of as the infinite pilau.

Making

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4 as a main more like 6 as a side

40 minutes

Ingredients

1 Tbsp ghee or oil of your choice

Around 300g mushrooms, sliced

6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp nigella seeds

1 medium onion, chopped

250g basmati rice

500ml water or vegetable stock

25g fresh coriander, chopped

Squeeze of lemon

3 spring onions, chopped

Instructions

First things first, chop whatever veggies need chopping so they can go in when you’re ready for them. In this case, the onion, mushrooms and green onions.

This one specifically is easier in a large saute pan with a lid than a saucepan with a lid (because of how the mushrooms cook down) but if all you have is a saucepan, you can make it work. Take whichever pan you’re using and put it on medium heat. Add in the GHEE or OIL of your choice and let it heat up.

Put in your MUSHROOMS and stir them around so they are coated in the ghee or oil. Be patient while they sweat themselves out and then begin to brown. It will take about ten minutes during which you’ll want to stay close and keep things moving around in the pan so they don’t burn.

When they are browned, move them to the side of the pan and add in a little more ghee/oil. When it has melted, put the CARDAMOM PODS, CORIANDER SEEDS, CUMIN SEEDS and NIGELLA SEEDS in and let them get fragrant. Then add in the chopped ONION. Cook for about five minutes until the onions are translucent.

Take your water or stock and add about 50ml to the pan and scrape up any browned bits that are sticking to the bottom of the pan. Then add in your rinsed BASMATI RICE. Stir it so that it is covered in all the veggies and spices. Pour the rest of the WATER or STOCK over the top, stir and put your lid on.

Turn the heat down to low and let the rice absorb all the liquid. Start checking at fifteen minutes but could take longer.

When the rice is cooked fully, give it a good stir and taste. Does it need anything? Some salt? More spice? Add whatever it is missing now.

Take your chopped CORIANDER and stir it through. Squeeze your LEMON over the top and scatter the SPRING ONIONS on top. You can serve as it is or with yogurt on the side.