Sadia Hussain
Oct 31, 2020
Chickpea Rice Recipe
I love rice, I love chickpeas and I love the flavor, nutrition and simplicity of this dish.
Rice dishes are versatile and healthy. Whether it’s cooked as simple fried rice or fancy biryani, this pantry staple is everyone’s favorite.
Chickpea rice is a classic Pakistani rice dish. I cook mine with canned chickpeas making it a quick and easy, meat-free, protein packed, meal.
You can eat this on it’s own, with a curry of your choice, or like I do with yogurt on the side.
Chickpea Rice Recipe
Sadia Hussain
SERVES
4
TOTAL TIME
45 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup basmati rice, washed and soaked for 15 minutes
Ghee for cooking
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
2 bay leaves
2-3 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup canned chickpeas
A handful of fresh mint leaves (optional)
2 1/2 cups hot water, approximately
METHOD
In a large pot, heat ghee and fry onions until golden brown.
Add cumin, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom pods, garlic paste and ginger paste and sauté for a few minutes.
Drain rice and add to pot. Add salt and sauté for a few minutes.
Add chickpeas and mint leaves (optional).
Add water and boil for 5-7 minutes until most of the water has evaporated and rice is more than half cooked. There should still be a little water left to steam the rice.
Turn heat low and tightly cover pot. Allow to simmer on low heat until steam is released and fragrance fills your kitchen, approximately 10-15 minutes.
Fluff up rice with a fork to make sure it is cooked. You may need a few more tablespoons of water to further steam rice to perfection.
Tips and Bits
You can use dried chickpeas, soak overnight, boil, drain, then add to the rice.
My water measurement is approximate. Cooking rice is trial and error. Perfectly fluffy rice depends on soaking time, quality of rice, amount of water, level of heat and a tightly fitted lid.
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