20 Min

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Spring Pea Pilaf

There is a short season in Houston when fresh green peas are in season — and now is the time. Thought to have originated in the Himalayan Mountains of northwest India, the environmentally friendly humble green pea is low in calories yet filled with vast amounts of minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients, which in turn provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. And best of all, they are delicious, especially when paired with the tender sugar snap peas. A pea pilaf is as common in India as mashed potatoes in the United States. We eat it with a simple dal for dinner or on its own with plain yogurt. It’s best made with white basmati rice, an unpolished aged long grain rice native to the Himalayan foothills of India.

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Cook Time

20 Minutes

Serves

4

Directions

Step 1

Rinse the rice in cold tap water 2 to 3 times. Soak in water for an hour and up to 4 hours and drain.

Step 2

Heat olive oil in a stockpot and pop the cumin seeds. Immediately add the onion and turn the heat down to medium to let the onion soften and slightly caramelize for 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 3

Add rice, 1 1/2 cups water, salt, cinnamon and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, then put a lid on the stockpot and turn the heat down. Cook for another 5 to 6 minutes until rice is almost done and add serrano chile, green peas, sugar snap peas, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 4

Turn the heat off and let the pilaf rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff the rice and garnish with mint and pistachios.

Notes & Variations

True basmati rice with a depth of flavor and complexity comes from India — there are plenty of imposter brands, so beware.
Substitute frozen green peas for fresh peas.

Ingredients

1 cup white long-grain basmati rice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 cup fine diced white onion

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cinnamon stick

Zest of one lemon

1 teaspoon minced serrano chile

1 cup fresh green peas

1 cup sugar snap peas, cut diagonally

1/4 cup chopped mint

1 tablespoon crushed pistachios

Step 1

Rinse the rice in cold tap water 2 to 3 times. Soak in water for an hour and up to 4 hours and drain.

Step 2

Heat olive oil in a stockpot and pop the cumin seeds. Immediately add the onion and turn the heat down to medium to let the onion soften and slightly caramelize for 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 3

Step 4

Turn the heat off and let the pilaf rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff the rice and garnish with mint and pistachios.

1 cup white long-grain basmati rice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 cup fine diced white onion

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cinnamon stick

Zest of one lemon

1 teaspoon minced serrano chile

1 cup fresh green peas

1 cup sugar snap peas, cut diagonally

1/4 cup chopped mint

1 tablespoon crushed pistachios

Notes & Variations

True basmati rice with a depth of flavor and complexity comes from India — there are plenty of imposter brands, so beware.
Substitute frozen green peas for fresh peas.

Tags:

20 Min

Tags:

20 Min

You know those dishes you wish you could eat for every meal?

This is one of them. A dal is simply a generic word for any split lentils, peas, or beans cooked with spices and seasonings. Try these out to pair with your Spring Pea Pilaf!

WE'RE COMING OVER FOR DINNER.

Simple Dal

Rustic Masoor Dal

30 Min

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Asparagus Pilaf

Adding vegetables to rice is such a wonderful way to pump up flavor and nutrition that making plain rice seems almost boring in comparison. We’ve noticed children particularly like it and it’s one way to get them to eat more vegetables. A nice way to welcome spring is by mincing asparagus and adding it to the pilaf at the end of cooking. This cooks it slightly yet maintains the bright chlorophyll green color of the vegetable as it folds into the flavor of the rice beautifully. Try this rice pilaf on its own or with a curry of your choice.

150 Min

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Green Dal

Greens lentils are the inside of the dried green beans called ‘vatana’ in India. They have a deliciously distinct earthy flavor that goes well with leafy green vegetables.

120 Min

GF

V

Biryani

Biryani usually starts with marinated meat, chicken, vegetables, or beans slow cooked with warm spices, onions, garlic, and ginger to make a base masala. Tomatoes, yogurt, or coconut can be added next. On the lighter side, one can forego the onion masala and make a vibrant fragrant green herb masala, like a salsa verde or pesto (minus the cheese) for quick cooking seafood or vegetable biryanis. Rice is usually prepared separately, and can be cooked in stock or just plain water – saffron and/or warm spices like a large stick of cinnamon, mace flowers, or bay leaves can be added to the rice. I usually cook the rice with oil rather than ghee or butter as the oil facilitates the flakiness of the rice and prevents it from getting sticky. It is best to make the rice last as freshly cooked hot rice is placed over the base masala topped with nuts and dry fruits, tightly sealed, and allowed to rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes for all the flavors to meld. Here is a recipe for a simple garbanzo and vegetable biryani that can be easily adapted to the addition of meat.

90 Min

GF

Autumn Dal

This soup, more like a soupy dal, has so many possibilities. Use the vegetables you have at hand however the butternut squash is a wonderful balance of sweet with the savory lentils.

25 Min

GF

NF

Black Truffle Pilaf

In this pilaf, the saffron and mace add a sweet note to the earthy truffle.

120 Min

DF

GF

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Moth Dal

The moth lentils, mostly native to preparations in Gujarat, are small but hearty and delicious.

20 Min

GF

NF

Caramel Pilaf

This technique originates from the Sindh province, where using a touch of caramel to flavor rice with spices and seasonings is fairly common. There is some use of sugar (or jaggery) in the recipe but the final product is not sweet, just a rich and nutty flavor.

60 Min

GF

Sindhi Channa Dal

This Channa dal is usually eaten at breakfast with pakwan, a savory crunchy layered fried flat bread

60 Min

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NF

V

20 Min

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GF

NF

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Clove Masala Pilaf

Cloves are a fragrant spice with magical powers.

90 Min

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NF

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Coconut Clove Pilaf

Cloves make this a delicious and unique pilaf. Can be eaten as a meal (yes, it’s that good) or as a side.

60 Min

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Rustic Masoor Dal

This masoor dal preparation, mostly native to Sindhi households, is simple, hearty and delicious and best eaten with rice.

30 Min

GF

Curry Masala Vegetable Pilaf

Use leftover rice to make this pilaf – even dried up old rice works. It’s lovely for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

45 Min

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Heirloom Tomato Dal

When tomato season arrives in the summer, we try to find every way to showcase them. While they make a great addition to a salad, cooking them ever so lightly in a delicate lentil stew results in a delicious dal. Be sure to use ripe heirloom tomatoes.

130 Min

Dum Chicken Pulao

Pulao, which usually refers to meat and rice cooked together in a pot can be even more delicious especially when made in the ‘dum’ (cooking under steam) style. It is a one-pot-wonder, aromatic yet not too spicy and the Chai masala, which is slow cooked with the chicken and rice, suffuses the rice with its heady aroma. This is a big recipe but do note that the pulao tastes even better the next day.

30 Min

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Fennel Pea Pilaf

This pilaf is very good for stimulating digestion.

50 Min

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Calcutta Dal

This dal is prepared with the hallmarks of Bengali cooking. Mustard oil for the slight horseradish like flavor, jaggery to add a touch of sweetness and all the spices that make up panch phoran, or the 5-Spice mix that is typically added to many of the dishes from Bengal. Add a handful of chopped cilantro at the end and a squeeze of lime.

30 Min

DF

GF

NF

V

Garbanzo Kale Pilaf

This pilaf can make a great meal on its own with just some plain yogurt on the side and also tasted great the next day.

110 Min

GF

Ghee Bhat

This is a take on a traditional rice dish usually made with short grain rice and any kind of meat stock. We used brown basmati rice, which takes a while to cook but absorbs the flavor of the stock beautifully. The aromatic spices, onions and coconut add enough depth of flavor to the rice to be eaten on its own. This rice dish works well with Lamprais, the popular traditional Dutch-influenced dish from the colonial days.

90 Min

GF

NF

Ghee Drippings Pilaf

With a nutty complex aroma, ghee is the golden healing elixir of Indian cooking, touted in Ayurvedic lore to be anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer and for enhancing the flavor of spices. As with most ingredients, the better the butter the more flavorful the ghee. When making ghee the milk solids reduce and concentrate and are usually discarded. However, these milk solids are filled with tremendous flavor so they can be easily used to cook rice with or added to stews and bread doughs.

30 Min

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GF

NF

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Golden Rice

Fragrant cinnamon and saffron balance the pungency of the fresh turmeric.

30 Min

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NF

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Lentil Pilaf

Can be eaten as is with a curry or can be embellished with roasted vegetables, herbs or nuts and dry fruit.

20 Min

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Lettuce Fried Rice

Eating vegetables and fruits grown by local farmers with stellar practices is one of the best ways to build immunity in our bodies. Whether it’s by visiting neighborhood farmers markets or getting a farm share, there is no time like the present to support our farmers and ranchers — they need our business. Always looking for ways to incorporate more vegetables into our meals, at the recommendation of a friend, I tossed fried rice with torn lettuce, and it made for a delicious light lunch. The lettuce wilted every so slightly but tasted really good — and who doesn’t love a flavorful, light fried rice?

35 Min

GF

Mushroom Walnut Pilaf

This pilaf can stand on its own or can be used as a phenomenal side dish for grilled or roasted meats. Replacing water with stock gives the pilaf a lovely meatiness.

20 Min

GF

Pomegranate Pilaf

Pomegranate juice adds a slightly sweet and sour flavor to the rice however to get it to this stunning color, slice the beets thinly.

20 Min

DF

GF

NF

V

Pop Masala Rice

We added the zest of two oranges to the rice, but you could either leave this out or replace it with lemon or lime zest.

75 Min

DF

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Purple Cabbage Pilaf

The pilaf is a showstopper when made and can be served alongside grilled meats or vegetables or a simple stew. If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, there are a multitude of ways to enjoy it, if not just straight out of the refrigerator. It can go into a salad, a stir fry or just dumped into a warm stew or curry.

25 Min

DF

GF

NF

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Simple Basmati Rice

Basmati rice, a long grain rice grown in Northern India, is aged for 2 to 3 years to develop flavor. We like to serve this rice with an intense fragrant curry like the Kerala vegetable stew or a hearty meat stew.

30 Min

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GF

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Spring Pilaf

Cabbage may be a humble brassica, but it is packed with plenty of essential phytonutrients and makes a great low-calorie addition to the pilaf

60 Min

GF

Squid Ink Pilaf

Squid ink is a gorgeous addition to rice or curries to create a briny ocean flavor.

45 Min

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NF

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Swiss Chard Pilaf

High in antioxidants and dietary fiber, one cup of braised chard provides more than the recommended daily dose of vitamin A. Enjoy this pilaf with soup or dal, curried lentils.

100 Min

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GF

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Tamarind Rice

This is an adaptation of a traditional South Indian rice that is so delicious it can be eaten just on its own. It is also good cold or at room temperature.

45 Min

DF

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NF

V

Tomato Pilaf

This pilaf can be a meal in itself, however, when paired with a creamy curry, it makes for a winning combination.

50 Min

DF

GF

NF

V

Turmeric Rice

A basic rice dish but like most dishes in Sri Lanka, it is made with a bit of coconut milk.

30 Min

GF

Vegetable Pilaf

This pilaf tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld together.

30 Min

DF

GF

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Vegetable Poha

Originally from Maharashtra, a state in the western and central peninsula region of India, poha is now enjoyed across the country in different iterations. In southern India, it is often prepared with cashews and coconut. In Gujarat, the state I was born and raised in, poha is usually cooked with onions, ginger, peanuts and fresh herbs. A bowl of steaming fragrant poha with leftover vegetables made for many a memorable breakfast during my childhood. Even though poha is made from rice, somehow it has a lighter texture but deeper flavor than cooked rice. I always keep a jar of poha tucked away in my pantry to turn into a quick, delicious meal.

45 Min

GF

NF

Yogurt Rice

A staple of South Indian cuisine, particularly during sweltering summers, yogurt rice or curd rice in its simplest form is steamed white rice tossed with plain whole-milk yogurt. It is usually eaten cold at the end of a meal to help aid in digestion and cool the palate after eating spicy, warming foods. In its most glorious form, the yogurt rice combination is tempered with ghee, mustard seeds, red chiles, fresh coconut, curry leaves, herbs, nuts, and dry fruits. There comes a time every summer when the Texas heat cries out for cooling foods like these — that time is now. This version is more like a rice yogurt salad, flavored with saffron, herbs, celery, and lots of tangy seasonings. Keep it tucked away in your refrigerator for 2 to 3 days; the flavors of saffron will only get more luscious and the yogurt rice will make a delicious snack or a side dish.

30 Min

DF

GF

V

Asparagus Pilaf

150 Min

DF

GF

V

Green Dal

Greens lentils are the inside of the dried green beans called ‘vatana’ in India. They have a deliciously distinct earthy flavor that goes well with leafy green vegetables.

120 Min

GF

V

Biryani

90 Min

GF

Autumn Dal

This soup, more like a soupy dal, has so many possibilities. Use the vegetables you have at hand however the butternut squash is a wonderful balance of sweet with the savory lentils.

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