Comfort Chickpeas and Fish Pilaf – Memories of Black Cardamom
This comforting Chickpea and Fish Pilaf is soul food in my life and kitchen. It brings back memories of my early days in my kitchen. Also, a lesson on cooking basmati rice and pulling together pantry staples for a good meal. Of course, today the last one is a mantra for everyday living. Chickpeas and rice are a happy marriage. I have many variations on the site, like this Chickpea biryani and this Chickpea and Potato Biryani for starters. This recipes takes me back to memories of a college room mate Rosy, one of the many culinary influences in my life.
The muse and the story behind Chickpeas and Fish Pilaf
Among the many people in my life, who I think of in the kitchen is Rosy. In an ideal world, I would be able to tell her how much and how often I think of her. The distance would make my effusive emotions would embarrass her.
Rosy was one of my colleagues in graduate school, she and I, took many a class together and she also cooked many a meal and taught me tips and tricks about many a spice and how to use them.
She once told me that her name meant, a bouquet of roses, I think that is how I think of her. She was always neat, dressed in colorful semi-traditional clothes, actually her idea of wearing long tunics over jeans is so trendy now that we are all doing it, she had bright eyes, a perky nose and long black hair. Her constant smile always reached her eyes.
Rosy is from Pakistan, She came to school with her husband and unlike the rest of us instead of living in the dorm she lived in a small apartment off campus. Her world combining school and household seemed so alien at times to me, but the seductive comfort of her cooking drew me in. She had no dearth of samplers on her small table, so she often cooked her food, community style. Her dishes were hearty robustly spiced stews, comforting curries and several other one pot dishes. She taught me how to let the rice rest, before serving a pilaf to allow the rice to, “bloom”.
About Perfect Basmati Rice and Black Cardamom
An essential ingredient in this dish is Black Cardamoms. No these are not the same as green cardamoms, they impact a lush smoky flavor that is nothing short of delicious. The key lessons in cooking basmati rice are as follows,
- Do not add too much water – 1 cup of rice needs 2 cups of water.
- Let the rice cook undisturbed after you are done, mixing in the spices. The grains are delicate, and you do not want to break them.
- Allow plenty of time after the cooking is done to let the rice bloom. So, after you turn off the heat allow at least 15 minutes to let the rice bloom.
A good side for this, to pack even more protein is the serve this with a fish curry.
A comforting and hearty one-dish pilaf, with fish, chickpeas, rice and potatoes.
Ingredients
- ½ cup oil
- 1 and ½ teaspoons turmeric
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced
- Salt to taste
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 11/2 cup basmati rice, washed and dried
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 eggplant cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, coarsely ground
- 2 and 1/2 cups broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 sweet Vidalia onion, sliced
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cans of oil packed sardines, drained and cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat half the oil on medium heat, in a large cooking pot.
- Rub the potatoes with ½ teaspoon of turmeric.
- Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and set aside.
- Add in the remaining oil and add the onions and sauté for about 6 to 7 minutes, until the onions soften and begin to turn golden on the edges.
- Add in the ginger and the basmati rice and fry the rice for 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the chickpeas and eggplant and mix well.
- Add in the cumin powder, coriander powder, bay leaves, cardamom and black peppercorns.
- Add in the broth with the remaining turmeric and bring it to a simmer.
- Cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat the butter and sauté the Vidalia onion, until soft and beginning to turn golden.
- Remove the cover of the pot and add in the fried potatoes, onions and the tomatoes and stir well but gently so as to not break the rice grains.
- Lower the temperature and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat and mix the sardines.
- Keep the dish covered for 10 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with the cilantro and serve.
Haleem My Way
[…] steaming cups of tea and well spiced food. Back in the day, I remember returning from classes to Rosy’s kitchen, to savor the comforts of her cooking, often featuring traditional dishes like Haleem, Nihari or […]