Efrat Lichtenstein from the great blog "So what do you do all day?" Upgrades, enriches and colors our basmati rice with soft chickpeas, sweet butternut squash, tomatoes and spices, which all come together for a nutritious and satisfying meal in one pot.
Ingredients for the recipe:
1 cup basmati rice
1 cup of chickpeas soaked overnight in water
1 butternut squash
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
½ peeled and finely chopped ginger root
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 heaping teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
15 cherry tomatoes roughly cut (maybe a little less)
A handful of coarsely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
Preparation
How do you make a rich basmati rice dish?
1. Cook the chickpeas: filter the chickpeas from the soaking water. Transfer to a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot partially and cook over a medium-high flame for about 50-90 minutes, or until they are completely soft. Skim off the foam that rises during cooking and add water if necessary (you can add a flat teaspoon of baking soda to the cooking water at the beginning, to speed up the process).
2. Prepare the rice according to the manufacturer's instructions.
3. Heat an oven to 200 degrees and line an oven tray with baking paper.
4. Peel the butternut squash and cut into small cubes. Place the cubes on the tray, pour a tablespoon of olive oil and a little salt and mix.
5. Put in the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, until the butternut squash is soft.
6. In the meantime, in a large, wide pan or pot, fry the onion in olive oil until golden. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for another minute.
7. Add the cooked chickpeas, turmeric, salt and pepper and cook together for a few minutes.
8. Add the cooked rice and cook for another five minutes.
9. Turn off the heat and add the chopped tomatoes, the baked butternut squash, the parsley, the lemon and the extra tablespoon of olive oil. Mix well and eat immediately.
10. Tip: In dishes with chickpeas, it is recommended to soak and cook a large amount, divide into portions and freeze. Next time you will only have to pull out a prepared dish.