Lightly Spiced North African Pilaf

I finished my second year of university last week, with no plans for a few days, and my house mates still trapped in the library nine to five, I have a lot of free time on my hands. Anyone that knows me will know that I'm not one to be sitting still, I always needs a project to sink my teeth into, so I thought it's time to get a bit more creative with my blog and my cooking. As I only have a week or so left in my student house until the summer break I'm also making a conscious effort to clear out my food cupboards and save a bit of money for the sunshine.  

This recipe, for North African Carrot & Chickpea Pilaf, has been adapted from the BBC Good Food website, where I found the recipe and made changes to suit my student budget. I also added a few extra ingredients to bulk the dish up a little. This makes a great dinner for anyone wanting to try something a little more adventurous, however doesn't want to stray too far from their food comfort zone. 

Ingredients:

• 80g brown rice
• 1 small red onion
• 2 medium grated carrots
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons of harissa paste (if you don't have this you can add a chilli instead)
• 1 teaspoon of paprika (i chose hot)
• 400ml chicken stock
• 30g almonds
• 1 tin of chickpeas
• 3 handfuls of chopped spinach

Method:

Start by placing the rice in a pan of boiling water and let this simmer away for about 30 minutes. Whilst the rice is cooking, finely slice your red onion and grate your carrots. Add the onion to a deep pan with a little oil and fry on a medium heat for about 5 minutes, then add the carrot and cumin seeds. Let the ingredients sizzle in the pan for a few minutes until you start to smell the cumin aromas. Drain the rice after 30 minutes and add this to the pan with the onion, also add the harissa and chilli powder, then cover with the chicken stock, giving all the ingredients a good stir.

The rice mixture will need about 10 minutes, keep stirring occasionally, but as it cooks chop the almonds (each one into around 4 pieces) and place under the grill for about 5 minutes until they are nicely toasted and a light brown colour. 

Most of the stock should have absorbed into the pilaf by now, if it's looking too dry add a little more water. Drain the chickpeas and pop these into the mixtures along with the chopped spinach. Give the pilaf a really good mix and keep stirring for a couple minutes. Take the pan off the hob and serve the pilaf into two deep bowls. Grab a hand full of the toasted almonds and sprinkle on top. 

Best enjoyed sat in the sunshine with a cheeky glass of wine.