Anchoveta Pilaf (Peruvian Sardine Pilaf)

Cooking at the Terra Madre kitchens is always a happy challenge. This year at Turin, I paired some Peruvian anchovies (Anchoveta) with Indian basmati rice and prepared an exotic pilaf dish as a part of the Chefs alliance kitchen.

http://www.fondazioneslowfood.it/welcome_it.lasso Generally used as animal feed and to extract oil, anchovetas are a pleasure to cook with, and remind me of oil rich Cornish sardines. Preparation time: 20 Minutes Cooking time:15 minutes

Ingredients :(To serve 6)

400g Anchovetas (drain the oil into salsa) 1Kg Basmati rice 1.5 Liter Water 2 Large red onions sliced 3 Cloves of Garlic, peeled 1 Table spoon currants 1 table spoon cumin seeds 1 table spoon mustard seeds 1 tea spoon curry powder 1 Pinch saffron strands Cherry tomato and basil garnish
Preparation:

Wash and drain the rice. Place in a pan, cover with boiling water saffron stands and let it stand for 30 minutes. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan; add sliced onions, garlic and saut until they are transparent. Then add the rice, currants, curry powder and salt and stir. Pour in the water, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let the steam cook the rice Drain the anchovetas and use the oil to make tomato and basil salsa. Serve the flavoured rice, topped with anchovetas and a fresh tomato salsa. The rice dish works excellently with a drizzle of cumin flavoured yoghurt.

Eating is believing..