I love to make this dish. It combines so many interesting and unique flavors into one simple arrangement. It’s a memorable side dish to serve to guests but it also has enough substance and protein to take the lead at the dinner table. For some reason I consider this a summer food, though the ingredients are available all year round. Perhaps it is because as a main entrée I find it is light enough to satisfy the appetite when it’s extremely hot without feeling heavy.

Start by making a big pot of basmati rice. This is the Indian long grain rice that is very aromatic and nutty in flavor. This dish will not taste the same if you use regular white rice or instant rice. Basmati is a dry variety of rice so only use 1 1/4 cup of water to every cup of rice. For even more initial flavor try using brown basmati rice. It is very good for you and tastes wonderful. Brown rice should be soaked for an hour or two before cooking to make it more digestible. (It is after all a seed and soaking releases nutrients while removing the enzyme inhibitors present in an un-soaked state. The bulk of the nutrient content in rice is in the bran and the germ, which are both removed when it is polished and hulled to make white rice. Brown rice will take more time but it is well worth the effort. Use 1 and 1/2 cups of water to one cup of rice. I know that many other instructions tell you to use more than 2 cups but I don’t like my brown rice mushy, I like it firm with a nice smooth texture. Add one tbsp of butter and 1 tsp of salt to brown or white as it cooks.

Okay, moving on.

The other ingredients you will need are raw cashews, raisins, Madras curry powder or paste (Yellow curry) I prefer mild for this dish, butter, cumin, garam masala, salt and pepper. I can’t tell you exactly how much because this is the kind of dish that you measure with handfuls and eyes, and estimates. Extra cashews or butter is not likely to ruin it.

In a large frying pan, over medium flame, melt two or three tbsp of butter, or enough to generously coat the bottom. Toss in the cashew and stir often until they are a lovely golden brown color. Add to the butter 1-2tbsp of curry powder, 1 tsp cumin, and I tablespoon of garam masala. Stir together with the butter and cashews for a few seconds until the spices are coated and start to release their fragrance. Add the raisins and stir until warm, and then add the rice. Stir together until it is all evenly coated and serve immediately.

I make this dish often as a way to use up leftover rice. If you are adding cold rice you may want to ladle in a few drops of water at a time after the rice is added. Only enough to create some instant steam, never enough to make things really wet. This little bit of steam helps to reconstitute the rice without making everything mushy.

This makes a nice side to go with curried chicken as well.