Quick Mediterranean Spiced Rice
A super simple and quick rice that is perfect for using up any store cupboard ingredients.
I know many of us are trying to keep home these days. Social distancing is important and I’ve designed this recipe to work with whatever you’ve got in the pantry.
I’ve used radishes, raisins, lentils and pomegranates mixed in with the wonderfully fragrant rice. However, you can use whatever you’ve got. The base spiced rice recipe works well with a variety of ingredients.
The basic premise is simple you want to add one thing crunchy and fresh, 1 thing sweet and citrusy, 1 legume/pulse and 1 herb to brighten up.
Some other ideas are – green beans, chickpeas, lemon and parsley. Sliced carrots, cannellini beans, orange and thyme.
When to eat
Radishes are widely available in the UK from April to October. I’d recommend eating then. However, you can switch out most of the ingredients for other seasonal ingredients. I find shaved parsnips or carrots work well in the winter.
Quick Mediterranean Spiced Rice
This meal is around 89% less polluting than the average UK meal.
Eating this recipe will save around 2.63 KG CO2e per person.
That’s equivalent to the emissions produced driving 21.72 KM in a modern car.
How do I calculate this?Ingredients
- 300 g Long Grained Rice
- 1 Teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 100 g Raisins
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 4 Medium Onions
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 150 g Pomegranate Seeds (roughly 1 pomegranate's worth)
- 100 g Radishes
- 15 g Mint
- 3 Tablespoons Sunflower Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 100 g Puy Lentils (cooked and drained)
Instructions
- If you don’t have any of the ingredients at home – don’t worry, read the description for some more ideas about how what you can switch out.
- Wash and boil your rice according to packet instructions. This should take 15 – 20 mins depending on the rice used. Drain and reserve.
- Whilst your rice is cooking, prep your veggies. Roughly chop the mint and slice the radishes into thin circles. Reserve both for later.
- Peel, halve and chop your onions into thin half moon slices. Finely dice your garlic then heat the sunflower oil over a high heat in a shallow frying pan. Once hot add your onions and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Tip in your garlic and sugar and cook for a further 3 – 5 minutes or until your onions begins to caramelise and darken. Remove from the heat.
- Once the rice and onions are cooked, combine them in a large mixing bowl. Then tip in the spices (turmeric, paprika, cinnamon) and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and mix well to evenly incorporate into the rice. Finally, stir in the raisins, lentils, half the pomegranate seeds and the olive oil into the rice.
- Plate the rice with the the radishes, mint and rest of the pomegranate seeds arranged on top.