My Toasted Almond Rice Pilaf comes from old recipes, but it's vegan and gluten-free, so it'll also please people today!
– 1/2 tsp saffron thread – 1 large onion – vegetable oil , for frying the onion – 1/2 cup sliced almonds – 1/2 cinnamon stick – 15 green cardamom pods, crushed – 10 dried allspice berrie – 1/2 tsp cumin seed – 3 whole clove – 1/2 tsp peppercorn – 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg – 1 Tbsp butter, or olive oil for vegan – 1 Tbsp olive oil – 1 1/2 cups Basmati rice – 1/2 teaspoon salt – 1/4 tsp pure almond extract, up to 1/2 tsp, as desired
GARNISH/TOPPINGS – 1/4 cup currant – 1/4 cup chopped pistachio – 1/4 cup finely shredded orange rind – 1/4 cup pomegranate seed – 1/4 cup golden raisin – toasted almonds, instructions below – fried onions, instructions below
Add three tablespoons of boiling hot water to a cup and crush the saffron threads between your fingers. Stir well and set aside.
Peel and thinly slice onion. Reserve 1/4 of the rings for frying. Heat an inch of oil in a pan or skillet until hot.
Using batches, cook onions until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Toast almonds in a big pan or skillet over medium heat for several minutes until brown.
Move them constantly and watch out for fires. Set aside from the pan. After frying onions, you can fry almonds in oil. Your pick.
Toast the spices in the same skillet over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly until they smell good. Use a spice grinder. Add grated nutmeg. Set aside.
In the same pan, sauté the remaining onions in butter and olive oil for 10 minutes until tender. Use 1 or 2 teaspoons of the spice combination to taste.
2 teaspoons are more aggressive than 1 teaspoon. Continue stirring for two more minutes. Add another tablespoon of oil if it sticks or is dry.
Add rice and mix. Few minutes of sauté Pour 2 1/2 cups HOT water into the pan and mix in salt and almond extract.
Once boiling, lower the heat, cover, and allow cook for 12 minutes without stirring. Let sit for 10 minutes after turning off heat.
Lid off and pour saffron water on part of the rice. Pile rice in an oblong pattern. Keep yellow and white rice separate. Garnish and add fried onions. Serve hot.