Easy and Delicious Pilau that You Can Make in a Matter of Minutes

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Most people tend to look for food options that can help improve or maintain good health. When you get older, this aspect becomes more relevant and you are constantly looking for foods that give all nutrients your body needs.

There is a vast range of foods that can help you with this concern. But, beyond question, rice comes to your rescue. Rice benefits are endless, not only in terms of affordability and versatility but also in health issues.

Rice is a good source of nutrients, protein, vitamins, and minerals.  It gives your body all the energy it needs to work properly. So, including it in your daily meals to build a balanced diet is a perfect idea. Needless to mention that it is easy to cook and to pair with other foods.

You may think that including rice in all your meals can result in plain and tasteless dishes. But you are wrong: rice is so versatile that you can cook delicious dishes and, the best part, without any effort.

Not only white rice: knowing Middle-Eastern cuisine

If you only eat rice as a simple accompaniment to your meals, you will be surprised to find out this noble grain can be the star of countless preparations.

Instead of cooking blank rice dishes, you may try international rice meals and discover the marvels of rice. Some countries use rice as part of their daily diet, not as a side dish, but as the main ingredient of their meals.

For example, in Middle-Eastern cuisine, rice is a staple food used to cook delightful one-pot meals. Most of their meals are very aromatic, healthy, enriched with the influence of 20 different nations including Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and others.

All their dishes are varied and very tasteful, you can find Mujadara Lentils and Rice, Shirin Polo with Raisins, Egyptian Koshari, Kabuli Pilau, to name a few.

Cooking Pilau in an easy way

One of the most cooked dishes in all these countries is Pilau because of its versatility and adaptability to other components. Pilau or pilaf is a one-pot dish that reunites all the distinctive flavors of Middle-Eastern cuisine. It consists of a rice preparation cooked in a seasoned broth, with strong herbs, spices, vegetables, or meat.

If you want to cook Middle-Eastern food, Pilau is a good start. There are many versions of this delicious rice dish: Beef Pilau, Chicken Pilau, Pilau Njeri, Coconut Pilau Rice, Goat pilau with potatoes, Turmeric pilau with golden onions, Pilau with peas, among others.

So try not to get overwhelmed with all these options, and better try the simplest version, and the easiest to cook. Then, you can incorporate other ingredients, and make your healthy version of this specialty.

Besides being a tasteful preparation, cooking Pilau is not that complicated. As a one-pot dish, you just need to cook all the components together in a single pot. In addition, you can prepare it in different kitchen gadgets: stove, crockpot, pressure cooker, and even in the microwave. Choose the one that fits your needs.

For cooking Pilau in the microwave, the only thing you have to do is to pick the proper white rice, for instance: https://carolinarice.com/products/white-rice/, and use the traditional Pilau ingredients to get the distinctive Middle-Eastern flavors.

Let’s learn how to make a delicious Pilau in the microwave. This is the simplest version of a vegetarian Pilau. It only has 240 calories, and 9 grams of fat.

Pilau rice

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 cup of Basmati rice.

• 2 cups of water or vegetable broth.

• 1 cup of frozen vegetables.

• 5 strands of saffron.

• 1 bay leaf.

• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds.

• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric.

• 4 cardamom pods.

• Salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1. Rinse rice until water is clear.

2. Soak rice for 20 or 30 minutes.

3. Drain rice to remove excess water.

4. In a microwave-safe bowl, add rice, frozen vegetables, strands of saffron, cumin seeds, turmeric, cardamom pods, and salt.

5. Cover this mixture with boiling water or vegetable broth.

6. Cook at high power for 10 minutes.

7. Stir the mixture and add more water or broth if necessary.

8. Cook for 5 more minutes.

9. Check rice texture.

10. Let it stand and serve.