Basmati Rice Pilaf

I'm not really sure that is technically a pilaf, but whatever it is, it's damn tasty!! It's great served with Indian style curries, but can be adapted to have other cuisine's flavours - like lime leaves and chilli for Thai cuisine, or turmeric and peas and onion for Indonesian cuisine...experimenting with the flavours, and adapting them to different cuisines is a lot of fun!

Basmati Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice
2 - 3 cups vegetable stock
1 x 400g can chickpeas
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
2 to 3 star anise, broken into pieces
6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed to release flavour
minced garlic to taste
chopped onion to taste
olive oil

Method

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook until translucent. Add the spices and stir quickly until fragrant. Add the chickpeas and coat with the spices.

Finally, pour in the rice, and mix it thoroughly with the chickpeas and spices. Pour in the stock to cover to your first knuckle above the rice - about 1 and a half centimetres. I generally just rest the top of my middle finger on the top of the rice, and the liquid should only come up to my first knuckle for the rice to cook nicely.

Cover the saucepan and bring to the boil. When it has reached the boil, stir, turn the heat to low, and cover again. Simmer (stirring occasionally) until all of the liquid has been absorbed.