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This fragrant basmati rice pilaf with fruit and nuts is the perfect rice to dress a festive dinner table.
Sweet and crunchy, this pretty dish is jeweled with almonds, cashews, raisins, apricots, and cranberries, and lightly flavored with cinnamon, coriander and cardamom.
Despite the number of ingredients, this beautiful dish doesn’t require much chopping, so it comes together in 20 minutes of prep time, and 20 minutes of passive cooking time.
Recipe for Rice Pilaf with Dried Fruit and Nuts (Kashmiri Pulao)
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 484kcal
Print Recipe
Equipment
- medium saucepan with lid
- tiny skillet
Ingredients
to start the rice
- 1 cup basmati rice (sub with long grain rice)
- 1 tablespoon ghee or butter
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 3 pods cardamom (or 1/4 teaspoon cardamon powder)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
to add
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
to add
- 1 3/4 cups water or stock
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup dried apricots or cranberries
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
to finish the rice
- 2 tablespoons cilantro or parsley finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ghee or butter
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander powder (optional)
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1/4 cup cashew nuts (sub with more almonds)
Instructions
prep steps
- Rinse basmati rice in cold water once, then soak for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside until needed.
- Gather spices into a small bowl and set by the stove.
- Chop onions, garlic and ginger and keep together in a small bowl set by the stove.
- Measure 1 3/4 cups water or stock and keep by the stove.
for the rice
- Start a heavy-bottomed rice cooking pot on medium heat. Add butter or ghee. Once melted, add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, bay leaves and optional fennel seeds. Sauté gently until lightly toasted and aromatic.
- Add the onions, garlic and ginger and sauté until lightly browned.
- Add the drained rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the rice is lightly toasted.
- Add the water or stock, along with the raisins, apricots or cranberries, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Set a timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before checking.
finish the rice
- Chop the cilantro or parsley for the garnish, then gather your nuts. You may choose to chop the nuts, or leave them whole.
- Heat a tiny skillet on medium-low heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon ghee, optional coriander powder and a pinch of salt, followed by the nuts. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly brown. Turn off the heat.
- Transfer the cooked rice to a serving bowl and top with fresh herbs and toasted nuts.
Nutrition
Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 212mg | Potassium: 518mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 3mg