David’s Kitchen

Fragrant Indian Spiced Rice — finished dish

David’s Kitchen

Fragrant Indian Spiced Rice

This rice is meant to be fragrant before it is decorative. Toast the spices, treat the grains gently and add the fruit and nuts with restraint.

Prep10 minutes
Cook25 minutes
Total35 min
Serves6
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The story

The story behind the dish

This fragrant Indian-style rice is a beautiful blend of warm spices, sweet raisins, and crunchy almond flakes. Golden from turmeric and deeply aromatic with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and coriander, each grain of basmati becomes infused with rich flavor as it cooks. The sautéed onions add gentle sweetness, while the raisins provide little bursts of fruitiness that contrast perfectly with the delicate crunch of toasted almonds. Finished with fresh flat-leaf parsley, this vibrant yellow rice is both comforting and elegant — perfect as a side dish to curries, grilled meats, or as a flavorful centerpiece on its own.

The recipe

Cook it properly

Ingredients

  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 8 cloves
  • 4 cardamom pods or 1 pinch cardamom seeds
  • 2 tbsp turmeric
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 4 tbsp almond flakes
  • 2 dl raisins, preferably golden
  • 6 dl basmati rice
  • 10 dl vegetable broth
  • Salt
  • 2 dl finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
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Method

Finely chop the onion. Sauté it in the oil until soft, but without letting it brown. Then stir in the dry spices, almonds, and raisins. Let this fry for about 1 minute. Add the rice and fry while stirring for about 3 minutes. Add the broth and season with salt. Stir, reduce the heat to minimum, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let rest for about 5 minutes. Fold in the parsley just before serving.

Recipe by David Algulin

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