Peas pilau
I tripled this recipe to make sure there would be leftovers too. I'm including the recipes with my modifications (e.g. brown rice, no chilies, potatoes with skins, etc...)
2 c. brown rice
5 cloves garlic
1 1/2 in ginger
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 in cinnamon stick, broken into 2 pieces
6 cardamoms
4 cloves
8 peppercorns
3 tbsp oil
1/2 onion, quartered and thinly sliced
4 sm potatoes, cut into 2 in dice
1/3 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 c frozen peas
4 eggs, boiled for 6 minutes and shelled
Wash the rice in several changes of water, then soak in warm water for at least an hour. Use a mortar and pestle to pound the garlic, ginger, and salt into a paste and set aside. Put the cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, and peppercorns in a glass filled with water and soak for 5 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large stock pot and fry the onion over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to turn golden brown. This step takes longer than you think especially if you are using non-stick pans - so make sure and keep at it for at least 10 minutes. Drain the soaking spices (reserve the liquid and add to water you'll be using in a few steps) and add them to the onion. Cook for a few minutes and, when aromatic, add the garlic-ginger paste. Stir well, reduce the heat and cook gently for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, and turmeric and bring up to simmering point. Cook over medium heat until the oil pools around the sides of the pan. Add the 3 cups of water (including the reserved liquid) and the frozen peas, and bring to a boil.
Drain and add the rice, stir and bring back to simmering point. Cover and cook for 5 minutes before reducing the heat to low to cook the rice slowly, for at least 30 minutes, without stirring. Then gently tuck the eggs into the rice and continue cooking with the lid on until the rice is just cooked. Don't stir the rice yet, but watch the water level - take a spoon and gently part a little of the rice from the side of the pan to allow you to peek down at the bottom. If the water has been absorbed before the rice is cooked, add more boiling water (say half a cupful at a time) and continue cooking and checking the water until the rice is just cooked.
