Recipe Notes | Persian Chickpea And Spinach Rice

This light and fragrant dish is a great light lunch served with a fattoush salad or as a side dish with cold cuts or perhaps roast harissa chicken.

Ingredients

• A good glug of olive oil
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
• 1 clove of garlic, minced or grated
• 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 mug of basmati rice
• 2 mugs of chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 bag of baby spinach
• A large handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• A large handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• A small handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• Sea salt and black pepper

method

1. In a large non-stick pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Fry over a gentle heat until translucent. Next, add the garlic and chickpeas. Stir until the chickpeas get a little colour. Next add the turmeric, red chilli flakes, and lemon zest and stir to combine. Add the rice and combine well over the heat for up to a minute. Then add the stock, bring it up to a boil and turn it down to simmer for approximately 12 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the water.

2. Once the rice is cooked, add the spinach and stir in the rice. As you stir it in the spinach will start to wilt slightly. Lastly, add the herbs and salt and pepper to taste.

Images: HM