Ingredients
- ½ cup white baby basmati rice (aka kali jeera) or
- regular basmati rice
- ½ + ¼ teaspoon Pink Salt
- 2 teaspoons ghee or coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 small green Thai chile, seeded and minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 5 fresh curry leaves
- 1/3 cup (1.5 ounces) nuts—one or a combination of slivered almonds, cashews, pistachios, halved pecans, halved walnuts, pine nuts
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
Garnishes:cilantro leaves or chopped dill
For Fiery Digestion: Omit the chile.
For Earthy Digestion: Add one more smallchile and reduce the nuts to ¼ cup. You may also substitute quinoa for the rice.
1. To wash and soak the rice: Place the rice in a strainer and dip it in a bowl of cold water. Wash the grains by gently rubbing them between your fingertips. Do not crush the grains! Lift the strainer, empty and refill the bowl with water, and repeat 2 or 3 times, until the washing water runs more or less clear. Keeping the rice in the strainer, soak it in a bowl of water for 10 minutes, then drain.
2. In a 1-quart saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add ½ teaspoon of the Soma Salt and the drained rice. Bring to a boil, then cover, and reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes, until the grains are soft (15 minutes for regular basmati). Turn off the heat and, using a large fork, fluff and spread the cooked rice on a tray or a plate and let the rice cool down to room temperature (this will firm up the grains so that they do not get mushy when you pan fry them).
3. In a 10- to 12-inch skillet, heat the ghee on low and gently toast the turmeric until it darkens a shade and releases its aroma—about 10 to 15 seconds. Add the cumin seeds and continue to toast for another 10 seconds, then add chile, ginger, and curry leaves and toast for 15 seconds more, until the fresh ingredients crisp up. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and the nuts and toast on medium-low heat until the nuts are slightly golden and crisp, 20 to 30 seconds.
4. Add the cooked rice and stir fry on medium heat, using a metal spoon to toss and stir gently but frequently. In about 5 minutes the rice will become a littler drier, less sticky, and slightly crisper. Try to keep the grains whole and not too mushy.
5. Leave the pilaf uncovered to release some of the steam. Add the lime juice and mix with a fork.
6. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve immediately.
(recipe from Divya Alter)