This dish is easy, healthy, tastes wonderful and is quite versatile.
Fragrant basmati rice, ginger and carrots give it a fresh yet savory flavor. Add shrimp or chicken to make it a complete meal.
Serves 4-6
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups plus 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups carrots grated, about 2-1/2-3 medium carrots
- 1 medium onion, cut in half and then sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter or 1/4 cup raw peanuts, chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root or 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- 2-3 sprigs chopped cilantro (optional)
- Combine rice and water in steamer, cover and allow rice to steam until tender, about 30 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, add the oil and onions to a large pan over medium heat. Cook onions until golden brown about 8-10 minutes; add garlic one or two minutes before the onions finish and stir. Add the peanut butter and stir until blended.
- Reduce heat to low. Add ginger, cayenne pepper, carrots, salt, and 1/4 cup water and mix well. Cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. In the pan, add the steamed rice to the carrot mixture and mix well. Sprinkle with cilantro, sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Variations: Add cooked chicken or shrimp to the dish to serve for lunch or dinner. Can substitute chopped, raw almonds, cashews, peanuts or golden raisins for the peanut butter. Leftover brown rice, mixed with a 1/4-1/2 cup of vegetable or chicken broth and warmed over low heat works great too.
GIGI VERREY is a self-professed nutrition and weight-loss guru and author of “Okay, So I Got Fat,” a book about bringing sanity back into the kitchen. Gigi’s lifelong passion for food has led her to try many diets, most of which were impossible to maintain or ridiculously expensive. Friends and family have sought Gigi’s advice on many nutrition-related topics. Her wisdom, organization, and no BS approach to meal planning have helped frustrated people successfully lose weight and keep it off. Gigi lives in Lake Forest, IL with her husband, their three boys, and two Shih Tzus.
