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Spiced Rice Pilaf

A spiced rice pilaf made with brown basmati rice, onion, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, raisins, almonds, and pine nuts.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Clove and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

Spiced Rice Pilaf

Time20 to 25 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Soak rice 2 hours to shorten cooking time.

  2. Rinse and drain.

Cook the rice

  1. In a large non-stick saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil and sauté onion and garlic until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

  2. Add cloves and cook 1 minute.

  3. Add rice and stir to coat.

  4. Add salt, broth and the cinnamon stick.

  5. Bring to a boil.

  6. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.

  7. Discard cinnamon stick.

Finish and serve

  1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil; add raisins and almonds and warm.

  2. Mix with rice and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

749Calories
41 gProtein
38 gFat
64 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Pine Nut1 oz (28g)191
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Almond1 almond (1.2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Cinnamon + almondtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,514 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Cinnamon + raisintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,390 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  5. Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,781 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Brown basmati rice
Forms the bulk of the dish and absorbs the broth as it cooks.
Chicken broth
Supplies the cooking liquid that the rice absorbs, giving it savoury flavour and moisture.
Onion
Softens and sweetens as it sautés, building a flavour base for the rice.
Garlic
Adds aroma and savoury depth when sautéed in oil.
Raisins
Add sweetness and chewy texture against the rice.
Almonds
Add crunch and a toasty, nutty flavour when warmed in oil.

The step that matters

Simmer covered without lifting the lid. Rice cooks by absorbing liquid in a sealed pot. Lifting the lid lets steam escape and changes the moisture balance, so the grains can stay firm or cook unevenly.

Swap the raisin

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (basmati rice, onion, garlic, clove, chicken, cinnamon, almond):

  1. Avocadofits better
  2. Coconutfits better
  3. Limefits better
  4. Raisinthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against basmati rice, onion, garlic, clove, chicken, cinnamon, almond. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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