Chickpea Rice

Are you in a mood for some good vegetarian meal? How about chickpea and rice cooked together in a pool of spices. Hmmm…sounds good? Wait till the fragrance runs through your house and the compliments that follow later. You might even start calling this simple dish, Chickpea Biryani.

INGREDIENTS:

• Chickpeas – 1/2 cup, washed and soaked overnight
• Onion – 1 cup, chopped in small pieces
• Tomato – ½ cup, chopped in small pieces
• Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp
• Green chillies – 2
• Cinnamon stick – 1
• Bay leaf – 1
• Peppercorns – 4
• Cardamom – 2
• Cloves – 2
• Rice – ½ cup
• Coriander powder – ½ tsp
• Red chilli powder – ½ tsp
• Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
• Cilantro leaves – ¼ cup
• Salt to taste
• Oil – 2 tbsp

METHOD:

• Boil the chickpeas in a pressure cooker using sufficient water, a pinch of turmeric powder and salt. Let it whistle two or three times, make sure you don’t overcook since you will be cooking it again with the rice. Drain the chickpeas, reserve the liquid and let it cool.
• Wash the rice and let it soak in water for 15 minutes.
• In a pot, heat some oil. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter for a minute. Put the cinnamon, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves and cardamom. Sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes or until it turns golden. Add the green chillies, and ginger-garlic paste. Put red chilli and coriander powder and stir for sometime till the flavors blend together. Throw in the tomatoes and some salt.
• Put the rice, and on medium heat, give it all a spin with a spatula for 5 minutes. Thereafter, put the chickpeas and stir it. Add the reserved water (around 2 cups), cover and on low heat let it boil until the rice is fluffy and cooked. This will take about 20-30 minutes.
• Sprinkle cilantro leaves before serving. Serve and wait for the compliments!

Yield: 2 servings