Curried Rice Pilaf
Swaagat
Hey that means, “Welcome,” in Hindi. We are so pleased you are here!
Like it or not, Indian food is filled with exotic complex flavors! Forget about 3 or 4 ingredient dishes, most average at least 7. I adore how Indian dishes build flavor upon flavor. Curried Rice Pilaf holds it’s own with roasted vegetables, grilled chicken or kabobs, or topped with a delicious sauce. You’ll find it’s simple, has 13 ingredients including sliced green onions, toasted cashews, and will add a splash of bright color to your plate.
My family loves Curry Rice Pilaf, filled with onions, celery, curry powder, and garlic. It’s a delicious place to start on your road to trying other kinds of pilaf dishes. I used a brown jasmine rice and it was surprisingly good, but white jasmine or basmati rice are great too. As we lovingly work to create memories in our kitchens for those we cherish, here’s one to cheer you on!
“One of my earliest childhood memories is the sweet smell of basmati rice cooking in our family kitchen. The aroma still brings back the feel of the sun, the chirping of green parrots…the feel of my mother’s sari, and the touch of my grandfather’s beard–in short, whenever I am, it brings back my childhood in Delhi” ~ Madhur Jaffery
Curry up and pin this!
Curried Rice Pilaf
- To make your Curried Rice Pilaf, in a medium saucepan, heat the butter and cook onion, celery, curry powder, and garlic until tender. Add rice, pepper, and chicken stock. Stir it well. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- While the rice is cooking, roast cashew nuts. In a heavy bottomed skillet, spread your nuts out in an even layer and heat over medium, shaking often – don’t overcrowd your nuts. Keep stirring or shaking for about 5 minutes, or until nuts are fragrant and browned.
- Fold in the raisins and green onions and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Place a towel over the saucepan and top with the lid. Let is rest for 10 minutes. To serve, garnish with whole roasted cashew nuts.
We're Alison and Renée, and we're so glad you've joined us! Our kitchens are our happy place, where we're whipping up memories. Get comfy and check things out. We hope you find inspiring dishes and ways to better your life. Feeling optimistic, trying new things and sharing with those we love brings joy in all we do. It's time to cook, create and celebrate. CHEERS! 
I swear, everytime I come to Cheery Kitchen it’s a dangerous thing. You guys make even mushrooms look delicious!!!
Thanks Riley! That’s the goal!
Actually Riley, you are not seeing mushrooms, (although I can see how you might think you are), I added some sliced grilled chicken to the sides and the rice is topped with roasted cashews. Both are similar looking to different varieties of mushrooms. Nice to have you here and thanks!
Renée recently posted…Curried Rice Pilaf
This looks really delicious.. for someone like me who lives in a country where rice is a staple meal, this is definitely a thumbs up! For some reason, it reminds me Valencian paella but without the seafood..
Okay, now it makes me hungry haha
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Are you visiting us from Spain? I have traveled there several times, (especially love Jaca), and fell in love with the beautiful people and heavenly cuisine! You’re right too, this dish is similar to a paella without the seafood. I am over the moon for that dish and enjoy sharing it at dinner parties. I’ll have to post my take on it here! Thanks for sharing.
Renée recently posted…Curried Rice Pilaf
For some reason, I am not a fan of cashew nuts. Take that away and I could eat this dish for a long time. I agree that Indian food do have exotic spices. Indian curry are the best too.
Do you have a particular brand of curry powder that you like best Robert?
Renée recently posted…Curried Rice Pilaf
Looks yum..definitely trying this!! ☺
You need to, Subha!
Yes to this! Thanks for the recipe. I am actually new to making curries, after years of avoiding them because I thought they were too time consuming. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Love your blog, by the way!
Thanks, Martine! Yes, please let us know how it goes!
We, in Romania, have a dish that is called “pilaf” too, it’s rice with vegetables and chicken. It’s a bit saucy though. Not sure I would add raisins, I am not a fan of sweet rice dishes. 🙂
That is cool, Joanna! I will have to look up a Romanian pilaf and try it out!
Omg your food always looks so delicious! This reminds me of India… I fell in love with the food there
Thanks Clair!
This is right up my street, rice and cashews? Sold! I’ll try anything with cashews! I love this blog even though I feel so hungry when I visit >:)
Thanks! That makes it worth it if you leave hungry! The cashews are the best especially when they are toasted!
I love everything about Indian food. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Indian recipe with less than a GAZILLION ingredients! lol, but it’s always worth it in the end. 🙂 Great post.
Thanks so much!
This is such a delicious food. The recipe is also not complicated. Would like to give it a try for sure.
Try it! You will be surprised at how much you love it!
I love the curry flavor and chicken curry is a regular at my dining table. Two years ago when my niece’s family hosted our reunion, she served basmati rice and I though this is just like the chicken curry dish that I cook mixed with rice. The family loved it and we always request her to bring it for potluck.
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Maybe next time you get together you can be the one to bring the curried rice dish! 🙂
Ok, I need to be brave and try curried food items again. I had actual curry once and it was AWFUL!! But I suspect it was because I ordered it from a restaurant I shouldn’t have been so trusting of.
This is a great recipe to get started back on the curry flavor especially when you add in the toasted cashews!
You have given me an idea about what to prepare for our family dinner tonight, as one of our family members will go back to the States. Plus your recipe looks like easy to prepare and it’s healthy too. For curry dishes, I admit, I love our local chicken curry.
This is a very easy recipe to follow and it is perfect for family gatherings!
I am sure I would love this dish. I love all kinds of food, but curry and rice with raisins is always a good idea for me. My fiancé would love this too, I might cook him this. So much to learn from this website. So my ideas on your blog; where to start!! http://bit.ly/sofarsosabine
Start here! This is an easy recipe to begin with!
I love Indian food but never made any myself I always love ordering but need to start making my own and this looks delicious
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This recipe is cheaper and healthier than ordering yourself! Try it out!
I’ve never had Indian food, but would love to try it. This recipe looks absolutely delicious and seems simple enough for me to try to make!
I love Indian cuisine and grew up eating a wide range of dishes. This is also a delicious dish we enjoyed, and we served it with sautéed veggies and a spicy sauce. Yum!
My husband would love this, he loves Indian food. I like some bits but am not a massive fan (I cannot eat anything remotely spicy) Although I do find a lot of places will make the dishes with most or all spice removed if you ask and then I enjoy the flavours
You’ll find this is a flavorful dish without being spicy or hot. Hope you can enjoy it!
Love rice pilaf and this recipe looks super delicious!
Thanks so much Cole!