Moroccan Rice
Spiced rice dish with chickpeas, almonds and dried fruit
Servings 4
Calories 481kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Large Onion
- 2 Large Cloves Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 185 g (1 cup) White Rice, Dry
- 50 g (1/4 cup) Brown Lentils, Dry
- 1 L (4 cups) Vegetable Stock - around 4 stock cubes.
- 50 g Dried Apricot, Chopped
- 50 g Raisins
- 1 tin (240 g or 1.25 cups) Chickpeas, cooked.
- 50 g Sliced Almonds
- 1/4 tsp Salt and pepper, to taste.
- 50 g Pomeganate Seeds for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Start by heating the olive oil in a large pan on a medium heat.
- Add the onion and sautee for 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Add all of the dried spices - smoked paprika, cinnamon, cumin and turmeric, and cook for another few minutes until fragrant.
- Add the rice and lentils and stir well to combine.
- Add the vegetable stock, dried apricot, raisins and chickpeas and cook covered with a lid for around 25-30 minutes, until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid and is tender.
- While the rice cooks, heat a small non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat. Add the toasted almonds and cook for about 5 minutes until the almonds have taken on a golden colour, and released their aroma.
- When the rice is cooked, serve immediately. Top with the crunchy toasted almonds and optional pomegranate seeds for some colour.
Notes
You can substitute the white rice for brown rice, although your cooking time will be slightly longer.
You can use any dried fruit you have on hand.
Brown lentils can be swapped for green or black, but not red. Red lentils have a completely different texture and will not work well with this dish.