Mango Rice
This fluffy rice is scented with warming spices and spiked with red onion, chickpeas, and sweet mango chutney. It’s my spin on the cherished South Indian dish (made with green mangoes), and it’s completely addictive!
The South Indian recipe for mango rice often calls for green mangoes. The mango is cooked before using, which softens and sweetens the fruit. In THIS recipe, you can get the same nuance without all the work by using mango chutney! Mango chutney is sweet, chunky, and covers the process of cooking and the seasoning. It’s a one-stop-shop for incredible flavor.
You can make this dish mild or spicy. When shopping, you can choose mango chutney that’s regular or hot. The hot chutney isn’t overly spicy, and I think it adds a nice heat to this rice. I used hot chutney here, but mild works too.
How should you serve your mango rice? This rice makes an excellent side dish for practically anything. Serve it with chicken, steak, pork, seafood, and/or a bounty of vegetables (for a vegetarian meal). The flavors in this rice are sweet and savory, but not overpowering, making it an excellent partner for all types of protein.
Mango Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 15- ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup mango chutney, regular or hot
- Chopped green onions for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion softens. Add the rice, cardamom, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the water, chickpeas, and chutney and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Top with green onions and serve.