This simple rice pilaf is packed with garlicky roasted mushrooms, sweet onions, lemon and pistachios – every bite is different and tasty! This is the perfect accompaniment to dal or curry.
Some nights you just have to go for the packet of microwave rice, and other nights you have the bandwidth to up your game a little with a homemade pilaf. And this recipe is for those nights!
It is sort of an amalgamation of my two favorite rice dishes that I like to order with my Indian takeaways: mushroom rice and lemon cashew rice. Today, we’re making mushroom rice with lemons and pistachios (you could use cashews if you wanted to, but I am obsessing over the pistachios lately).
I’ve designed this recipe to be the perfect side dish for a saucy curry or dal, so while it has some spices going on and a good flavor to it, it’s subtle enough to be the backdrop, just enhancing the variety on your plate with all the extra textures. I love how the juicy mushrooms, sweet crispy onions and toasted pistachios will add interest to your dish – especially in the case of a dal which might be a completely smooth texture on its own. Using this rice instead of plain rice will make a huge difference to your meal!
Ingredients: What is Important + What You Can Change
- I use quartered chestnut mushrooms, but button mushrooms will work OK too. If you’re using smaller buttons, halve them instead of quartering.
- Pistachios could be replaced by cashews or pine nuts, no problem.
- Brown or white rice will work equally well here, but opt for a long grain rice such as basmati. This type doesn’t stick together as much when cooked, which is how you get a nice fluffy pilaf.
- I use the zest and juice of half a lemon, but I would not hesitate to try this with lime if that’s all you have available.
- You can swap the cilantro (fresh coriander) for parsley if that suits you better.
The Best Pan for the Job (Size Matters Here!)
You want a roasting dish that will comfortably fit your mushrooms and onions without overlap, but also without too much extra space. If there’s too much space around the garlic and onions, they’ll roast super quickly and end up burning before the mushrooms are ready. Having a fairly full pan means the juices and steam from the mushrooms will surround the garlic and onions and stop them from burning.
- As a guideline, you want something in the region of a 9×13 inch (20×33 cm) sized dish.
- The roasting pan I use, which you can see in the photos, is larger at 37 cm (15 inch) long. However – can you see how it’s curved? Our actual base surface area is smaller than that, so it works out.
- An enamel or metal pan is ideal, allowing the mushrooms and onions to roast well and roast quickly. But I have tried this with a glass Pyrex dish and it’s absolutely fine, it just takes longer to cook, so bear that in mind if you’re using glass (or ceramic).
Pair me with…
- Lentil Dal. A super smooth red or yellow lentil dal such as this Lemon & Coconut Dal or this Easy Tarka Dal OR a more textured Green Lentil Dal or Black Lentil Dal. Any one of these would work beautifully alongside this Mushroom Rice.
- A creamy curry. Try this Creamy Chickpea Curry (a reader favorite!), Paneer, Kidney Bean & Coconut Curry or the extra decadent Butter Halloumi Curry. These rich sauces will pair amazingly with the mushrooms and the lemony rice.
- A greens-packed curry. Try my Spinach Curry or Kale Curry. You’ll get a great mix of texture and lots of nutrition with these!
Mushroom Rice Pilaf with Pistachios
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown or white long grain rice, uncooked quantity – if you have some precooked rice, you want around 2.5 cups.
- 5 Tbsp olive oil
- 10 oz (300 g) mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ small red onion
- 1 tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp coriander
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ½ lemon, zest and juice
- 1 Tbsp salted butter , or more olive oil
- 4 Tbsp pistachios
- 1 handful cilantro (fresh coriander), chopped
Instructions
- If you are cooking brown rice, start that off immediately. If you are cooking white rice, you can wait until the mushrooms are in the oven with 10 minutes to go. For this recipe, I like to cook my rice like pasta: Don't worry about measurements, just fill a medium-large saucepan with salted water and bring it to a boil, then add the rice to the water. Allow it to cook for 25-30 minutes for long grain brown rice or 8-10 minutes for long grain white rice. Be sure to taste test as you go. Once it's ready, drain it in a sieve (the kind you use for icing sugar!), shaking it a little to get all the water out.If the mushrooms aren't ready yet, return the rice to the pan and add a little drizzle of olive oil or a pat of butter. Allow to sit, covered, until the mushrooms are done.1 cup brown or white long grain rice
- Prepare your mushrooms and onions. Quarter the mushrooms and add to a large serving bowl with the garlic and 4 tbsp of olive oil. Stir through to get all the mushrooms well coated in garlic, then add salt and pepper to taste and scatter in the baking dish. Slice the onions into half rounds, place in the same bowl and toss with another tablespoon of olive oil. You don't need to separate them into individual slices, let them stick in their half moons as much as possible (this stops them from burning). Once they're coated in oil, add them to the pan with the mushrooms.Place in the oven for 25 minutes, stirring once around the 15 minute mark.10 oz mushrooms, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 small red onion, 5 Tbsp olive oil
- While they roast, toast the pistachios. Heat a cast iron or stainless steel pan (no oil) and add the pistachios. Turning regularly, toast for a couple of minutes until they start to smell toasty. Pour them onto a plate to cool, and then chop them up if you wish.4 Tbsp pistachios
- Once the mushrooms are browned and reduced and the onions are starting to crisp up, remove from the oven and add in the spices. Add a pat of butter or another pour of oil and mix through to get all of the mushrooms well coated in the spice mix. Place back in the oven for another minute, just to give the spices a chance to bloom and release their flavor and scent.1 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1 Tbsp salted butter
- Add the lemon. Remove from the oven and mix the lemon zest through, then squeeze the juice of the lemon over the top and mix again. Add salt and pepper to taste.1/2 lemon
- Add in the cooked rice and cilantro (fresh coriander) and toss through, then sprinkle the pistachios over the top.1 handful cilantro (fresh coriander)
- Serve. You can serve directly from the roasting dish, or transfer to a serving bowl.
