Ingredients
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1 large Sweet potato
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1/3 cup Olive oil
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To taste Salt and pepper
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1 tablespoon Dried onion
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1 1/2 cup Basmati rice
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2 teaspoons Garlic paste
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2 teaspoons Ras el hanout
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2 teaspoons Vegetable powder
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3 cups Water
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1/2 cup Green olives
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1 Fennel bulb
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1 handful fresh Parsley
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6 wedges Lime
Directions
Ras el hanout is a spice mix consisting of different spices used in North African countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. The blend typically contains cardamom, cumin, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, dry ginger, chili peppers, coriander seed, peppercorn, sweet and hot paprika, fenugreek, and dry turmeric, in different quantities.
Ras el hanout is very popular in the Mediterranean, and has the same role of garam masala in India. It’s commonly used in many different dishes.
Here, we have prepared a rice dish that enhances the flavour of ras el hanout: it contains fennel, green olives, and roasted sweet potatoes. This dish is so fragrant that your mouth will start watering!
To prepare it, start with peeling and dicing the sweet potato. Season with salt and pepper, brush with olive oil, and bake for 20-25 minutes (the smaller you dice it, the quicker it will cook). In the meanwhile, thinly slice the fennel bulb. Heat the olive oil in a French/Dutch oven, together with the garlic paste. Toss in the fennel, olives, and dried onion. Cook for a few minutes, until the fennel softens, then add the rice and Ras el hanout. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the rice becomes translucent, then add the vegetable broth. Stir well, then add the roasted sweet potatoes. Cover with a lid and put in the oven for 15 minutes (all the broth should be absorbed by the rice).
Take out of the oven, fluff the rice with a fork, and set aside for a few minutes to settle. Serve and enjoy!
Steps
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1
Done
30 minutes
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Bake the potatoPreheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the sweet potato, then dice it into small cubes. Season with salt and pepper and brush with a little olive oil. Transfer to a baking tray lined with tinfoil, and put in the oven for 20-25 minutes (the smaller the cubes, the quicker they will cook). |
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2
Done
15 minutes
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Cook the fennelWhile the potato is roasting in the oven, rinse well the fennel, halve it, remove the outer layers, then slice it thinly. In a French/Dutch oven heat the olive oil together with the garlic paste. Add the fennel, the dried onion, and the green olives. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the fennel softens a bit, then add the rice and ras el hanout. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring, until the rice becomes translucent. |
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3
Done
15 minutes
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Bake the riceAdd the water and the vegetable powder. Mix well, and turn down the heat until your sweet potato is properly roasted. Remove the tray from the oven and transfer the sweet potato to the French/Dutch oven. Mix and cover with a lid. Turn the oven temperature to 300 degrees and put the French/Dutch oven in it for 15 minutes. When you take the pot out of the oven, the rice should have absorbed all the excess water. Fluff the rice with a fork, stir in the fresh parsley, and set aside for a few minutes to settle. |
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4
Done
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ServeTransfer the rice to your serving bowls, accompanying with a lime wedge. Enjoy! |
