Indian Spiced Carrot and Spinach Wild Rice Pulao

Ingredients

• 1 cup Rice
• 3 Tbs Earth Balance Butter (Or Coconut OIl for Corn Free)
• 1 Large Onion Chopped
• 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
• 2 Large Grated Carrots
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1/2 Tsp Better than Bouillon Organic Chicken Stock
• 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 Tsp Ground Coriander
• 2-3 Large Handfulls of fresh Baby Spinach
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup Toasted Cashews (optional)

Directions

This dish is similar to say a Fried Rice- the difference here is the Indian Flavor. Indian Spices make my heart pitter patter with happiness. And during this least favorite long dreary freezing season of mine- some happy pitter patter does me good. So you can plan on many more Indian Inspired Recipes over the next few months popping up on this blog. Count on that.

Traditionally Pulao  is made with basmati rice- which I was lacking. (and I’ll note that I did not figure out I was minus the Basmati until I was well into the cooking process). Frustrated I went forward with the bag of Wild Rice that I did have- and its results pleased me. So with that being said- You may of course follow my lead and use a wild rice mix or you could use virtually and other type of rice (except for Short Grain Sticky Rice- save it for Sushi) Or.. get even more daring and use Quinoa , Millet or Amaranth. What I’m basically suggesting here  is to do whatever you want!

This Pulao could be served as a side dish or as the main course. If you want to throw some protein into the mix – Chicken would be marvelous.

1. Bring a Pot of Water to a Boil and add Rice. Cook Rice until it is 75% done . You want it Al Dante.
2. Meanwhile.. In a Large Frying Pan Melt the 3 Tbs of Earth Balance Butter and Add Onions. Cook them over medium heat 15 minutes or so until they are slightly golden brown. Add in Dried Coriander and Cumin and stir and cook the spices one minute until fragrant.
3. Add the Carrots in with the Onions and Spices. At this point add to the frying pan the “almost finished” Rice (drain it from its water first)  And then Pour in the 1/2 cup of water mixed with the 1/2 Tsp of Chicken Bouillon. Stir the Pulao and cover. Allow it to cook for minutes or longer until the rice is done and the excess liquid had been absorbed. (If you find the rice needs additional water- feel free to add it a little at a time)
4. Stir in the Spinach and remove the pan from heat once the spinach has wilted.
5. If you would like to include the toasted Cashews (which I do recommend doing) Toast them by heating them in a skillet with a TBS of Earth Balance Butter or Oil and cooking them until golden brown. Stir the Cashews into the Puloa.
6. Give the Dish a taste test and add additional salt if you feel it is needed. Serve Warm!