Cashew Carrot Rice

Soft and fluffy basmati rice with carrots, cashews and spices—this is a must-try for the special Friday lunches. You can serve this rice with roasted meat or curry, with some fresh papadum and salad.

For this recipe we have used the Roasted Cashews with Tangy Curry Leaves from the Sri Lankan brand Royal Cashews, provided to us by one of our partners ADK General Trading. These cashews are lightly roasted with curry leaves, and has no artificial flavours and additives. Since these cashews come with tangy curry leaves, it adds an extra layer of flavour to our cashew carrot rice as well.

You can use the Gannamart App to get the Royal Cashews Roasted Cashews with Tangy Curry Leaves or get in touch with ADK General Trading on their Viber hotline 736-3663.

Serving size: 2

Ingredients:

For toasting cashews

• ½ tbsp ghee
• 70g Royal Cashews Roasted Cashews with Tangy Curry Leaves

For the carrot mixture

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 medium-sized onion (thinly sliced)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 thinly sliced green chillies
• 1 ½ cup grated carrots
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/3 tsp cinnamon powder

For the rice

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 large bay leaf
• 2 ¼ cup water
• 2 tsp olive oil
• ½ tsp salt

For topping

• 1 ½ tbsp chopped raisins
• ½ tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. To start off, in a pan, heat up ½ tbsp ghee on medium heat for 30 seconds or until it fully melts. Then add 70g Royal Cashews Roasted Cashews with Tangy Curry Leaves and toast them on medium heat for 3 minutes, or until they are starting to brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
2. To the same pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil, ¼ tsp mustard seeds, and ¼ tsp cumin seeds and heat up for 1 minute. Once the oil is heated and fragrant, add in 1 medium-sized onion (thinly sliced), 3 cloves of garlic (minced), and 2 thinly sliced green chillies. 
3. Sauté the onions on medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the onions are softened and starting to get golden brown in colour. Now add in 1 ½ cup grated carrot and mix well with the onions for around a minute.
4. Then season with ½ tsp salt and 1/3 tsp cinnamon powder, and continue to cook the mixture for 4 minutes on medium-low heat. At this point, the carrots will be soft and a lighter orange in colour. Once cooked, set aside.
5. To cook the rice, first wash 1 cup basmati rice. Then add the washed rice to a small pot, along with 1 large bay leaf, 2 ¼ cup water, 2 tsp olive oil, and ½ tsp salt. Cook on high heat (without the lid) for 10 minutes or until the water is around the same level as the rice.
6. Then reduce the heat to low and put the lid on. Let it cook for another 11-12 minutes or until the rice is soft and fluffy, and there is no excess water left. While cooking, make sure to stir the rice occasionally for an even cook.
7. Turn off the heat and add the carrot mixture and the toasted cashews over the rice, along with 1 ½ tbsp chopped raisins and ½ tbsp olive oil. Gently mix everything together with the rice, careful not to mush the rice too much. Now the cashew carrot rice is ready to enjoy!