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Basmati Rice Pilaf with Carrots

A fragrant basmati rice pilaf cooked with carrots, onions, spices, butter, and oil, baked until tender.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and clove 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 ↓

Basmati Rice Pilaf with Carrots

Oven350°F (175°C)
Time20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Wash the rice in cool water, squeezing gently with your fingers, until the water runs clear.

  2. Put the rice in 2 cups of cool water to soak for 20 minutes.

  3. Strain the soak water into a saucepan and heat the saucepan.

  4. Leave the rice to dry in a strainer.

  5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

  6. While the rice is drying, chop the onion finely and set aside.

  7. Dice the carrots and set aside.

  8. Measure the spices.

Cook the pilaf

  1. Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a heavy, oven-proof skillet or casserole dish.

  2. Add the spices.

  3. When the spices become fragrant, add the butter and onions.

  4. Cook until the onions are tender and light golden brown.

  5. Add the carrots and cook for 3–5 minutes.

  6. Add the rice and cook, stirring very gently for 5 minutes.

  7. Add salt.

  8. Add the heated soak water.

  9. Bring the mixture to a boil.

  10. Reduce the heat.

  11. Simmer until the water on top of the rice has boiled off.

Bake and serve

  1. Cover tightly.

  2. Cook for 20 minutes at 350°F (175°C).

  3. Remove from the oven.

  4. Let rest for 10 minutes.

  5. Serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

525Calories
7 gProtein
27 gFat
67 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 12 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Seednot in our table0

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. Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Cinnamon + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,103 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).

  3. Carrot + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together777 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  4. Clove + cumintop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,306 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  5. Carrot + clovetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,873 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

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

What each ingredient does

Basmati rice
Forms the bulk of the dish; its starch cooks into separate, fluffy grains.
Butter
Adds richness and flavour, and helps the onions brown.
Onion
Adds sweetness and savoury depth as it softens and browns.
Carrots
Add sweetness and colour, and soften during cooking.
Cumin seeds
Release aroma when bloomed in hot oil, flavouring the whole dish.

The step that matters

Stirring the rice gently in the fat. Rice grains are fragile; rough stirring breaks them and releases surface starch, which makes the pilaf gluey instead of fluffy and separate.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (basmati rice, carrot, cinnamon, clove, cumin, butter):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Parsnipfits better
  3. Sweet potatofits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against basmati rice, carrot, cinnamon, clove, cumin, butter. 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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