Curried Basmati Rice

We live in an era where free time is pure luxury. We are constantly juggling between our families, jobs, household chores, activities… How many times do you go to the supermarket only to find yourself in front of the TV dinner’s aisle? How many times have you wondered if you had time to cook this nice dinner that you’ve been thinking about? How many times have you gone to your local grocery store to buy some fruits and you ended buying dinner from their prepared food section? You are not alone! We all go through these moments of despair. We really don’t have the time anymore to cook a meal every night. It’s sometimes easy to double a recipe so you will have leftovers for next day’s dinner

Small onion (diced)
Garlic (to taste, minced)
Mushrooms (cut)
Frozen Peas
Fresh ginger (minced)
Oil
Basmati rice
Salt
Red pepper flakes
Curry powder
Cardamon powder
Cilantro
Sauté the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and mushrooms in the oil, until liquid from mushrooms evaporates. Add the fresh ginger and sauté a minute more. Then add the curry and cardamom powder and sauté for a few seconds more.
Add the water for the rice on top of the sautéed mixture. If you want firm rice, use the following ratio: 1 cup rice to 1 ¼ cups water. Then add the rinsed rice. (Never soak Basmati rice in water – you only rinse it a couple of times under cold water, in a colander). Let it boil, turn down the heat to low and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
After the rice is cooked – immediately add the frozen peas. (The steam from the hot rice will defrost the peas). Just before serving, add some fresh cilantro leaves.
Note: You can use any vegetables you like – I personally like the mushrooms and peas mixture.