This evening (10 June 2013), I had dinner with my very dear friends Paul
and Silke Handley at their home in Gex, France. (Paul was the head of OCHA – my boss – when I
worked in Nepal in 2007). As always –
Paul made a fabulous meal, a Saudi Arabian rice dish with turkey kabob, zucchini
and a spicy yoghurt.
The Rice
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1½ cups Basmati rice (soaked for 30 minutes, rinsed and
drained)
4 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in 4 tablespoons hot
water
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Good pinch of ground cloves
3 cups water
4 tablespoons pine nuts (or sunflower seeds) toasted, for
garnish
2-3 sprigs coriander leaves for garnish
- In a large pot, sauté the onion in the olive oil, for about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Add the rice and stir for 2-3 minutes.
- Add all the rest of the ingredients (except for the pine nuts), and stir.
- Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for about 12 minutes.
- Stir the rice once, cover tightly, and turn off the heat so that the rice continues to cook in its own steam for another 30 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, toast the pine nuts in heavy frying pan over a medium heat, until nicely browned.
The Zucchini
2-3 zucchini
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- Wash the zucchini but do not peel and cut into chunks.
- Sauté in the olive oil for about 15 minutes, until soft.
The Turkey Kabobs
Olive oil
- If the kabobs are not spiced, spice or marinade the turkey or chicken with your favorite spices.
- Stir fry in olive oil until cooked, about 10-15 minutes.
The Yoghurt
Approx. 1½ cups plain thick yoghurt (great if you can get
sour Iranian, Afghan or Balkan yoghurt)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Tablespoon crushed cumin
½ teaspoon sea salt
- Grind together the sea salt and cumin.
- Add the olive oil and salt/cumin to the yoghurt and mix well.
To serve
- Put the rice on a large serving dish.
- Put the zucchini around the dish.
- Add the kabobs on top of the rice.
- Garnish with pine nuts and coriander leaves.
- Serve with yoghurt on the side.
an amazing that smells good keep it up pretty job x P
ReplyDeleteVery nice! I spent a year and a half in the Eastern part of Saudi Arabia (Ras Tanura, Dhahran, Al Khobar)and there, this rice was done just a tad differently. First, there was no tomato in there, paste or otherwise; second, they made it with dried currants, not raisins; and finally, they would take some of the rice out and imbue it with saffron, then mix it back in when serving. Also, I don't think I ever ate turkey in Saudi. Mostly chicken, beef and lamb. But it does go well with all meats anyway.
ReplyDeleteThey also used whole cloves and whole cardamom in the rice. Love chewing on the cardamom, when you hit one. Not so much with the cloves... :)
This is one of my most favorite foods! Thanks for bringing back the memories!