One-pot curry rice

Dog walking in my local park has become so much more than just that - we appear to have created a walking recipe exchange.  One lady told me about this rice dish she was making for a curry buffet and the next time I saw her, she pulled a print-out of the recipe out of her bag - she'd been carrying it for me, hoping to bump into me.  In return, I promised her one of mine.  The same has happened with other people too and we just go along sharing food ideas - I love it!



Now, this rice dish that was recommended to me is a one-pot recipe and ideal to go with a curry or just some meat or more vegetables.  I'd even be tempted to have it on its own - that's how good it is.  And soooo easy!  It does require a couple of ingredients you may not necessarily have in your cupboard (e.g. mustard seeds - I'd never used those) but none of them are terribly expensive and this dish is so good, you'll be cooking it over and over again, hence not wasting any.  Oh, and did I mention that it can be frozen?  Perfect!

Maharashtran One Pot Rice (serves 8)

Ingredients:
3 tbsps vegetable oil
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp mustard seeds
20 curry leaves (if available dried & chopped, this should be roughly 2 tsps)
4 cloves of garlic, crushedr
2 small chopped onions
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tsps garam masala
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 - 2 tbsps desiccated coconut
400g rice, rinsed, drained & patted dry
400ml of water
4 tbsps cashew nuts, lightly roasted
2 carrots, peeled & grated
100g cauliflower, cut into really small florets
a couple of handfuls of frozen peas
lemon juice to taste
a couple of handfuls of fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Method:
1.  Heat the oil in a large pan.  Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and when spluttering, stir in the curry leaves, followed by the onion and garlic.  Cook until the onion is translucent.
2.  Now add the ginger, chilli, garam masala and coconut as well as a little salt and 2 tbsps of water.  Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until the excess liquid has evaporated.
3.  Add the uncooked washed rice, vegetables and cashew nuts and stir fry for 2 mins.
4.  Pour in the water, bring to the boil and cover.  Once boiling, reduce the heat right down and cook undisturbed for 8 - 10 minutes.
5.  Turn off the heat and remove the lid, allowing the rest moisture to evaporate.
6.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, a little lemon juice and finally using a fork stir in the fresh coriander/cilantro, fluffing up the rice as you go along.