Elegant yet simple, roast almond & potato spiced rice is sure to become your next family favourite.
Fragrant & delicious, the double carbs make it hearty and substantial, and it is suitable to serve as a side dish or a main meal. Super-easy to make & supremely adaptable, it can be made vegan, vegetarian, or for meat eaters. Just like our wild rice pilaf pots with spinach & parmesan, this meal is quick to make and reheats well, so it’s ideal both for preparing in advance or quick weeknight dinners. You might even be able to take leftovers for lunch!
Here’s How to Make It
Start by rinsing then soaking the rice in a bowl of cold water. This is an optional step- if you don’t have time for it, don’t worry. Next, gather your ingredients. I find it’s convenient to put all the spices together in a bowl.
Chop the onion and potato quite small, then heat the oil over-low-medium heat. Fry gently for around 20 minutes, or until the potato is par-cooked and the onion translucent.
Add the spices and fry a further few minutes. Melt the butter into the pan, then add the drained rice. Stir to coat. Lastly, add the stock, stock powder, peas, salt & water and mix through. Cover and bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15- 20 minutes. (If you want to make a vegan or vegetarian version, simply replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock. A quick way to do this is by mixing some vegeta stock powder with warm water).
I’ve used a handful of frozen peas here, but you can swap them out for most other veggies, fresh or frozen. Make sure any substitutions are small-sized and cook at the same pace as the rice. The chicken stock I use is home-made from fresh carcasses, so has no added salt. If you’re using store-bought liquid stock, you may not need to add the powdered stock as well.
While the rice is cooking, roast the almonds. I’ve chosen flaked almonds here, but whole or slivered almonds work just as well. I like to dry-fry my nuts in a small saucepan, but the microwave is better if you’re in a rush. To do this, lay the nuts out on a microwave-safe plate & cook on high for 1 minute. Remove and stir. Continue cooking on high for 30-second intervals until the almonds are fragrant and light gold.
Once the rice has been cooking for 15 minutes, remove it from the heat and check that all the liquid has been absorbed & it’s cooked through. Mix the nuts through and serve.
Roast Almond & Potato Spiced Rice
Equipment
- 1 large deep frying pan
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups basmati rice
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 300 grams potatoes, chopped
- 1 handful peas optional. similar may be substituted
- 600 ml chicken stock water or vegetable stock can be substituted
- 60 grams butter oil may be substituted
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 bay leaves
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick (2.5cm) or 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 pinches black pepper
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tsp vegetable stock powder
- 400 ml water
- 50 grams flaked almonds
Instructions
- This first step can be omitted if you're in a hurry- but it does make for a fluffier finished rice. Rinse the rice then soak it in a bowl of cold water for one hour.
- Chop the onion & potato into small pieces.
- Heat the oil over low-medium heat in a large, deep frying pan. Fry the onion and potato for 20 minutes, stirring continuously.
- Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, pepper & cardamom to the pan, and fry a further few minutes.
- Add the butter. Once it has melted, add the drained rice and stir to coat.
- Add the stock, stock powder, peas, water & salt and bring to the boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, dry-fry the flaked almonds until fragrant & golden, and set them aside.
- Check the rice has cooked through, season to taste, and garnish with the almonds.
