Make This For Your Next Potluck

A while ago I went to a work potluck. I wanted to make something delicious (and mildly impressive), but by the time the list came to me, many people had already signed up for dishes in the other genres I had considered. So after much anxiety and numerous suggestions, I decided on this rice. I have had this recipe for years, but I never make it because it has a lot of ingredients that I never had and never felt like buying. But, this time I took a look at my spices and realized I was pretty much set to go with this. And, once you have all the ingredients, it's pretty easy.

And, this rice is so delicious. Like this and this, it might be the butter. Also, I did not cook this rice in the pot in the picture, but I did serve it in that dish because it's so pretty. I think you could make this rice in the oven in a dutch-oven-like pot. The chicken would probably even taste better if you did.


Recipe adapted from and Zubin Mehta (Bon Appetit)

Ingredients:
- 1 stick butter
- 4 medium onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 cups (basmatti) rice
- 4 cups of stock
- 2 large (or more) chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces. You can skip the chicken, add in cubed (pan fried) tofu, or skip it all together. When my parents used to make this they served it as a side, and I always thought the chicken was sort of pointless. However, if you want it as a main dish, I think adding chicken (or tofu) definitely improves it.

(Spices)
- 16 whole cloves
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
- 3/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 teaspoon sugar

(Other Stuff)
- 3/4 cups dark raisins, plumped in water
- 3/4 cups yellow raisins, plumped in water
- 1/2 cup unsalted raw cashews
- 1/2 cup shelled pistachios
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- One more onion cut into strips and fried until they're crispy (for garnish, if you want)

Note about substituting tofu: If you do this (which I think would be equally delicious) you should pan fry it first, and add it to the mix later in the cooking process, so that it doesn't fall apart.

Note about the spices: The only downside (that I can think of) to this recipe is that it involves numerous spices and can therefore require a sort of heavy investment in spices at the outset. I skipped the cloves because I didn't have any, and I used ground cumin instead of cumin seed for the same reason. It all worked out just fine.

Instructions:
- Melt butter in large pot (like one you'd use to make soup)
- Saute the onions and garlic, then add ginger
- Add the broth and bring to a boil
- Add the rice and spices. Lower heat, stir and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken. Cover and cook on medium heat for 40 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. I found I needed more broth than the recipe called for because all the liquid was absorbed but the rice was not soft yet. If this happens, just add a little more broth (or water if you don't have more broth).
- While the rice is cooking, in a skillet, roast all of the nuts and soak all of the raisins.
- Once all the liquid is absorbed in the rice, add in the nuts and (drained) raisins. Stir and cook for an additional five minutes.
- Serve. The recipe says it serves 8. I think, as a side, it serves several more than that.