Pomegranate, Cinnamon, Ginger Rice

Ingredients

Serves: 6

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 55 g split blanched almonds, any tiny pieces discarded
• 250 g basmati rice, rinsed
• pinch of saffron strands
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 450 ml boiling vegetable stock
• 1 ripe pomegranate
• 2.5 cm (1 in) piece of fresh root ginger, grated
• 1 tsp clear honey
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• salt and pepper

Preparation method

Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 20 mins

1.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the almonds and cook gently for 2–3 minutes or until golden. Remove from the pan with a draining spoon and set aside.

2.

Add the rice to the oil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the saffron and cinnamon stick, then add the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil. Stir, then cover and cook over a very low heat for 10–15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the stock has been absorbed.

3.

Meanwhile, cut the pomegranate in half and remove all the seeds from the membranes. Reserve about one-third of the seeds for garnish. Put the rest of the seeds in a sieve placed over a mixing bowl and crush with a spoon to extract the juice.

4.

Squeeze out the ginger juice. Stir the honey into the juices.

5.

When the rice is cooked, stir in the pomegranate juice mixture. Cover again and leave to stand for 2 minutes. Then remove the cinnamon stick, fork the mint and coriander through the rice, and transfer to a warmed serving dish. Scatter over the almonds and reserved pomegranate seeds, and serve.