Indian Dinner: Cashew Basmati Rice

When we decided that we would do an Indian dinner, my boyfriend really wanted to have his own dish to showcase his amazing cooking skills. After some thinking, he chose to make some basmati rice. My mom makes a really nice turmeric rice with raisins and cashew nuts. However, when he asked for the recipe, we ended up with two huge boxes of already made rice in our fridge.

So, we had to find our own recipe, and here’s what we came up with!

Here’s what you need for 8 people:

• 2 cups of basmati rice
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 3 kaffir lemon leaves
• 1/2 cup cashew nuts
• 1/2 turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 4 cups of hot water
• the juice of 1/2 lemon
• cilantro to garnish

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Wash the rice, rubbing it slightly in water and changing it often until the water runs clear. Change the water one last time and let the rice sit in water for 30 minutes. Drain and put aside.
2. In a large saucepan set on medium heat, melt the coconut oil and add the mustard seeds and the cashew nuts. Stir until the cashews are golden.
3. Add the turmeric. Quickly stir, and then add the rice and salt. Add the hot water and lemon juice and stir. Bring to a boil and let boil for two minutes. Add the kaffir leaves (push them through the rice), cover and put on low heat for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit until all the water has soaked in (around 5 minutes).
4. Stir the rice and garnish with coriander leaves before serving.

This rice is the bomb! It is so soft and rich. The kaffir leaves really had a fresh and fragrant flavour, while the cashews add a nice bite to the mix.

It is also very good the next day when you pan fry it on low heat. The bottom layer of rice becomes crispy while the top stays soft. This rice is perfect with any Indian rice, but also to add a little bit of fun to any vegetable dish.

Let me know if you try it out!